Chasing Waterborne Pathogens in Antarctic Human-Made and Natural Environments, with Special Reference to Legionella spp.

ABSTRACT: Waterborne pathogenic diseases are public health issues, especially for people staying in remote environments, such as Antarctica. After repeated detection of Legionella by PCR from the shower room of Syowa Station, the Japanese Antarctic research station, we wanted to understand the occurrence of waterborne pathogens, especially Legionella, in the station and their potential sources. In this study, we analyzed water and biofilm samples collected from the water facilities of Syowa Station, as well as water samples from surrounding glacier lakes, by 16S rRNA gene-based amplicon sequencing. For Legionella spp., we further attempted to obtain a detailed community structure by using genus-specific primers. The results showed that potentially pathogenic genera were mostly l

SUBMITTER: Shimada S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7783343 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature