Influence of copper surfaces on biofilm formation by Legionella pneumophila in potable water

Legionella pneumophila is a waterborne pathogen that can cause Legionnaires' disease, a fatal pneumonia, or Pontiac fever, a mild form of disease. Copper is an antimicrobial material used for thousands of years. Its incorporation in several surface materials to control the transmission of pathogens has been gaining importance in the past decade. In this work, the ability of copper to control the survival of L. pneumophila in biofilms was studied. For that, the incorporation of L. pneumophila in polymicrobial drinking water biofilms formed on copper, PVC and PEX, and L. pneumophila mono-species biofilms formed on copper and uPVC were studied by comparing cultivable and total numbers (quantified by peptide nucleic acid (PNA) hybridisation). L. pneumophila was never recovered by culture from heterotrophic biofilms; however, PNA-positive numbers were slightly higher in biofilms formed on copper (5.9 × 10(5) cells cm(-2)) than on PVC (2.8 × 10(5) cells cm(-2)) and PEX (1.7 × 10(5) cells cm(-2)). L. pneumophila mono-species biofilms grown on copper gave 6.9 × 10(5) cells cm(-2) for PNA-positive cells and 4.8 × 10(5) CFU cm(-2) for cultivable numbers, showing that copper is not directly effective in killing L. pneumophila. Therefore previous published studies showing inactivation of L. pneumophila by copper surfaces in potable water polymicrobial species biofilms must be carefully interpreted