Inactivation efficacy and mechanisms of wavelength-specific UV sources for various strains of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1

Infections of Legionnaires' disease in the United States caused by Legionella have increased ninefold between the years 2000-2018. Legionella harbored in biofilms or inside amoeba within premise plumbing can be more resistant to disinfectants, thus causing treatment challenges. Ultraviolet-light emitting diodes (UV-LEDs) are an emerging water disinfection technology with several advantages over conventional UV lamps. In this study, we evaluated the effects of UV-LEDs (255, 265, and 285 nm), a low-pressure (LP) mercury UV lamp (254 nm), and a bandpass filtered medium-pressure (MP) mercury UV lamp (220 nm) on properties and inactivation of three strains of L. pneumophila serogroup 1. The UV-LEDs emitting at 255 and 265 nm showed greater inactivation performance against all the strains compared to the UV-LED at 285 nm and the LP UV lamp at 254 nm. Our results showed that strains of the same serogroup exhibited different UV sensitivities. Analyses of DNA and protein damage revealed that UV exposure using 254, 255, and 265 nm predominantly causes DNA damage, while protein damage is predominant at 220 nm. Both DNA and protein damage were observed at 285 nm, but the extent of DNA damage was relatively less significant compared to the other wavelengths. Electric energy consumption analysis showed that water treatment using UV-LEDs is currently unsatisfactory compared to conventional LP UV lamps due to the mediocre wall plug efficiency (WPE) of UV-LEDs. However, recent studies indicate that the WPE of UV-LEDs is continuously improving. Overall, our study highlights that UV-LEDs are a promising technology for inactivating waterborne pathogens and have the potential to replace existing UV mercury lamps for water disinfection applications.

Automated summary

In the United States, Legionnaires' disease infections caused by Legionella have increased drastically from 2000 to 2018. The presence of Legionella in biofilms or within amoeba in plumbing systems makes it more resistant to disinfectants, posing challenges for treatment. UV-LEDs are a promising water disinfection technology with advantages over conventional UV lamps. This study evaluated the effects of UV-LEDs and UV lamps of different wavelengths on the properties and inactivation of three strains of L. pneumophila serogroup 1. Results showed that UV-LEDs at 255 nm and 265 nm were more effective in inactivating all strains compared to UV-LEDs at 285 nm and a low-pressure UV lamp at 254 nm. Different strains within the same serogroup exhibited varying sensitivities to UV radiation.