Objective
Legionella are an important health and environment issue. Regular outbreaks of Legionellosis in certain cases causing the disease of patients show the dangerousness and reality of an infection risk. A significant number of Legionella contaminations are related to industrial complexes where cooling towers present a high Legionella risk. The bacteria colonize the water of these cooling towers and in some cases they are transported outside by the exhaust steam and may thus cause infections. The Vesicount project focuses on Legionella in cooling towers and public health constituting the main industrial and community risk issue. Current difficulties in Legionella detection and treatment arise because the bacteria are sometimes contained in protozoa vesicles where they grow and multiply. The vesicles do not appear with classic detection methods. Also they are able to protect Legionella from deleterious action of disinfectants and biocides. Vesicount project is intended as a long term industry-academia-cooperation concerning research for, firstly, indisputable methods detecting digestives vesicles transported and freed by typical protozoa containing Legionella inside of the industrial cooling towers and, secondly, for efficient ways of eliminating them in a healthy and reliable way. The university partners contribute to this project by offering specialized research experience and the industrial partner by bringing in his field experience. Secondments, recruitments and knowledge transfer between the partners will give the necessary frame to this 4 year cooperation aiming at the establishment of a new Legionella detection and treatment standard.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
FP7-PEOPLE-2007-3-1-IAPP
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Funding Scheme
MC-IAPP - Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP)Coordinator
60203 Compiegne Cedex
France