AUTHOR=Whiley Harriet , Keegan Alexandra , Fallowfield Howard , Ross Kirstin 

TITLE=Uncertainties associated with assessing the public health risk from Legionella

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00501

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2014.00501

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Legionella</italic> is an opportunistic pathogen of public health concern. Current regulatory and management guidelines for the control of this organism are informed by risk assessments. However, there are many unanswered questions and uncertainties regarding <italic>Legionella</italic> epidemiology, strain infectivity, infectious dose, and detection methods. This review follows the EnHealth Risk Assessment Framework, to examine the current information available regarding <italic>Legionella</italic> risk and discuss the uncertainties and assumptions. This review can be used as a tool for understanding the uncertainties associated with <italic>Legionella</italic> risk assessment. It also serves to highlight the areas of <italic>Legionella</italic> research that require future focus. Improvement of these uncertainties will provide information to enhance risk management practices for <italic>Legionella,</italic> potentially improving public health protection and reducing the economic costs by streamlining current management practices.</p>