Screening of Legionella pneumophila from water sources in the hospitals in Jakarta

Latar belakang: Pneumonia akibat bakteri Legionella masih menjadi masalah di berbagai tempat di dunia; menjadi penyebab 2-15 % dari pneumonia yang perlu di rawat di Rumah Sakit. Kasus legionellosis di Indonesia dilaporkan terjadi di Bali pada tahun 1996 dan di Tangerang tahun 1999. Keberadaan Legionella di fasilitas Pelayanan Kesehatan berpotensi sebagai penyebab infeksi nosokomial. Bakteri Legionella hidup di lingkungan perairan hangat dan lembab, juga ditemukan diberbagai sumber air seperti, sumber air sistem pendingin ruangan, kolam renang, tempat penampungan air di rumah sakit, perkantoran, hotel, dan perumahan sehingga turut berkontribusi dalam terjadinya community acquired dan pneumonia nosokomial. Metode: Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif yang bertujuan untuk penapisan keberadaan Legionella pneumophila diberbagai sumber dan penampungan air di Rumah Sakit (RS) di Jakarta dengan menggunakan medium Legionella Charcoal Yeast Extract (CYE) dan dengan berbagai suplemen. Tujuh belas sampel air yang berasal dari berbagai sumber air di dua RS yang berlokasi diJakarta Utara dan Barat telah diteliti. Hasil: Dua puluh satu koloni yang ditemukan memiliki karakterisitik L. pneumophila dari semua varian medium, namun pada tes agglutinasi latex tidak memberikan reaksi positif. Kesimpulan: L. pneumophila tidak ditemukan diberbagai sumber air dari dua RS ini. Penggunaan metode yang lebih sensitif dan spesifik perlu dilakukan untuk memastikan ditemukannya L. pneumophila. Kata kunci: Legionellosis, Legionella pneumophila, medium BCYE Abstract Background: Pneumonia due to Legionella bacteria is still a problem in various places in the world, causes 2 15% of pneumonia that need hospitalization. In Indonesia, legionellosis cases have been reported in Bali in 1996 and Tangerang in 1999. The existence of Legionella in healthcare facilities is potential to cause nosocomial infections. Legionella bacteria live in warm and humid waters, and are also commonly found in various water sources, such as water cooling systems, swimming pools, water reservoirs in hospitals, offices, hotels and housing. These bacteria contribute to the occurrence of community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonia. Methods: This study was a descriptive research, and aimed to screen water sources and reservoirs in the hospitals in Jakarta for the existence of Legionella pneumophilla using Legionella Charcoal Yeast Extract (CYE) medium with various supplements. A total of 17 water samples from 2 hospitals located in West and North Jakarta have been examined. Results: The results showed a total of 21 colonies with characteristics as of L. pneumophila were obtained from those water samples, however, none showed positive results in the latex agglutination test. Conclusion: L. pneumophila was not found thus far in the water sources in these two hospitals. A more sensitive and specific approaches might be used to enable the findings of L. pneumophila. Keywords: Legionellosis, Legionella pneumophila, BCYE medium