According to data from the CDC, the number of deaths caused by Legionnaires’ Disease has just about tripled over the past two decades. In 2002 there was 63 deaths directly attributed to Legionnaires’ Disease. The CDC reported 170 deaths caused by Legionnaires’ Disease in 2015, the most recent year that was analyzed. When Legionnaires’ Disease is taken into account as a contributing factor to death, the number of deaths in 2015 increases to 217. Legionnaires’ Disease is the underlying cause of death in 78.3% of fatalities associated with the disease. The data also shows that the mortality rate for Legionnaires’ Disease…
On Wednesday, six plaintiffs, represented by Mr. Zacher, have been awarded a total of $1,100,000.00 as a result of acquiring Legionnaires’ Disease at Integrated Health Campus, an Allentown medical office complex. More info regarding the case can be found here and here.
A recent CDC study of the presence of legionella in our nation’s cooling has produced concerning results. Water from 190+ cooling towers from around the country was collected and tested for the presence of legionella bacteria. The CDC found that 84% of those water samples contained at least DNA traces of legionella bacteria. The study also found that 79 of the 196 (~40%) surveyed cooling towers contained live legionella bacteria. These findings were enough for the study’s head researcher, Dr. Anna Llewellyn, to refer to legionella as being “ubiquitous in U.S. cooling towers”. Cooling towers have been strongly associated with outbreaks of Legionnaires’…
If a company or organization in the UK fails to prevent the spread of legionella on their premises and someone dies of Legionnaires’ Disease as a result, the company could face a charge of corporate manslaughter. As of now, a town council and a discount home improvement warehouse have faced corporate manslaughter charges as a result of Legionnaires’ Disease outbreaks. Following an outbreak of the flu that affected around 120 people who had attended a party at the Playboy Mansion, tests on the mansion’s pool and hot tub showed positive results for legionella bacteria. Though the first officially recorded Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak…
Legionella infections are most commonly associated with cooling towers, hot tubs, pools, showers, and decorative fountains. However, exposure to legionella bacteria can occur through other, more obscure means. Legionellosis (Legionnaires’ Disease) manifests when aerosolized droplets containing legionella bacteria make their way into a patient’s lungs. Legionella bacteria typically is inhaled in through water droplets, but contaminated soil has been found to cause Legionnaires’ Disease on numerous occasions. In Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Japan, more attention has been paid to the potential risks of acquiring Legionnaires’ Disease or Pontiac Fever from contaminated potting soil. In New Zealand, there was 121 reported…
Researchers at the University of Torino in Italy have discovered a novel way to test for low concentrations of legionella pneumophila in water. One of the most commonly used methods of testing for legionella in water involves growing a culture from the biofilm (slime) that rests on the surfaces of water systems. Large amounts of water are also included and tested in this method. The samples are then taken into a lab where it takes anywhere from 7-14 days for any potential bacteria culture to grow. Another common testing method is what is called Quantitative Polymer Chain Reaction (qPCR). This method uses DNA testing to…
In June of last year, the CDC published an article entitled Legionnaires Disease on Rise in US. The report states that the rate of reported cases of Legionnaires’ Disease increased by 286% between 2000 and 2014. The total number of CDC-reported cases of Legionnaires Disease in 2000 was 1,100. By the year 2014 a total of 5,166 cases of LD were reported to the CDC. The most recent figures show that this upward trend has continued into 2015. In 2015, the CDC cites a total of 6,079 cases of Legionnaires Disease, a marked 17% increase of reported cases in just a year.…
A report by the UK Government’s Health Protection Agency found that the spray from windshield wipers is a verified source of legionella exposure. The report claimed that windshield washer water could be responsible for up to 20% of all Legionnaires’ Disease cases in the UK. This same reported stated that professional drivers were five times more likely to acquire Legionnaires’ Disease than those in other lines of work. (1) A species of legionella was discovered in freshwater areas contaminated by the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in 1984. Seeing as most newly discovered species of legionella are named after the…
The Macau Health Bureau has confirmed three cases of Legionnaires Disease at the site of the Parisian Macao, a $3 Billion dollar, 3,000 room casino resort located on Macau’s version of the Las Vegas Strip. The Health Bureau is reporting that one of the patients is listed as being in critical condition, and another in serious condition. The third patient has already been released from the hospital. In a press release issued Saturday evening, the Bureau indicated that the resort’s pool and spa area had been shutdown for testing. Prior to this outbreak, Macao had had only 1 recorded case…
Researchers at the University of Manitoba – Winnipeg and St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg have published the results of their research into a new antibiotic compound. This compound, referred to as PEG-2s, is novel in the way it ‘attacks’ infecting bacteria. Traditional antibiotics usually target a bacteria cell’s cell wall or its processes of DNA replication and protein synthesis. PEG-2s instead takes aim at one particular protein that is responsible for providing energy to the cell. The compound is so accurate and effective that the researchers claim that it does not have an effect on good gut bacteria or the body’s…