Chlorine disinfection of Francisella tularensis.

Aims: To determine the range of free available chlorine (FAC) required for disinfection of the live vaccine strain (LVS) and wild-type strains of Francisella tularensis.

Methods And Results: Seven strains of planktonic F. tularensis were exposed to 0·5 mg·l(-1) FAC for two pH values, 7 and 8, at 5 and 25°C. LVS was inactivated 2 to 4 times more quickly than any of the wild-type F. tularensis strains at pH 8 and 5°C.

Conclusions: Free available chlorine residual concentrations routinely maintained in drinking water distribution systems would require up to two hours to reduce all F. tularensis strains by 4 log10. LVS was inactivated most quickly of the tested strains.

Significance And Impact Of The Study: This work provides contact time (CT) values that are useful for drinking water risk assessment and also suggests that LVS may not be a good surrogate in disinfection studies.