Susceptibility to ultraviolet light C of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms from hydropathic respiratory treatment equipments: impact in water quality control and public health

Natural mineral water (NMW) is widely used in hydropathic facilities, commonly known as thermae. It represents an important therapeutic resource to treat inflammatory respiratory disorders like asthma, bronchitis and bronchiectasis, as well as muscle-skeletal and rheumatologic conditions, among others. To maintain thermae NMW therapeutic properties, attributed to its stable physicochemical characteristics, it cannot be disinfected during use, which may pose a risk to the more than 21 million users that annually seek these treatments (Pereira et al. 2014). Thus, the microbiological water quality is a serious concern for thermae owners and public health authorities (Costa et al. 2010), particularly when considering the treatments International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 4 Number 5 (2015) pp. 1200-1208 http://www.ijcmas.com