Investigating Distribution of Legionella Pneumophila in Urban and Suburban Watersheds

Author

Azlan Maqbool, CUNY Queens CollegeFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-28-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Environmental Science

Language

English

First Advisor

Gregory D. O'Mullan

Second Advisor

Timothy Eaton

Third Advisor

M. Elias Dueker

Abstract

The presence of Legionella pneumophila was assessed using a cultivation-based approach in New York City waterways, a freshwater portion of the lower Hudson River Estuary near Kingston NY, and in urban and suburban street water. Legionella pneumophila was detected in 51% of brackish New York City Estuary samples, most with concentrations near minimum detection (=>1 organism/ mL). In contrast, it was detected in 22% of suburban freshwater Hudson River Estuary samples. Levels of the bacterium were found to be higher during wet weather compared to dry weather in the highly dense urban setting, but not in the less dense suburban/rural settings. Lastly, Legionella pneumophila was detected in 95% of New York City street water samples and in 88% of suburban street water samples. These results presented a strong initial indication of wet weather contamination from street water discharge into the estuarine environment. This is the first study to document the widespread occurrence of Legionella pneumophila in street water and to establish a clear pattern of increased concentrations of Legionella pneumophila during wet weather in an urban estuarine environment.

Recommended Citation

Maqbool, Azlan, "Investigating Distribution of Legionella Pneumophila in Urban and Suburban Watersheds" (2021). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/qc_etds/4