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’…
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…
The Florida Department of Health is investigating an Ocoee gym after three of its customers have contracted Legionnaires disease. The officials have not yet confirmed the gym as the source of the cluster of cases but are taking precautions as such. The management at LA Fitness have issued a press release stating that they have made efforts to notify all members that have used the gym in the last month of their potential exposure to legionella bacteria. The release also mentions the ongoing remediation process that LA Fitness is taking to eradicate the presence of legionella bacteria. In January of this…
Researchers at CalTech , The Washington University School of Medicine, and the University of Florida have successfully modeled the ‘Type Four Secretion’ system unique to legionella bacteria. Previously, other scientists have not been able to accurately model this mechanism as the bacteria are only about 40 nanometers in diameter. This process, referred to as the ‘Toxin Gun’ by some, is responsible for the bacteria’s noted resistance to some antibiotics. The ‘Toxin Gun’ secretes thousands of toxic molecules that infect and significantly weaken cells, overloading the body’s immune response. The ‘Toxin Gun’ also shoots out material that is coded with antibiotic resistance genes, thereby allowing more…
A European research consortium, comprised of university researchers, chemical analysis labs, and an Italian HVAC manufacturer. Researchers at the POSEIDON Project, which stands for Plasmonic-Based Automated Lab-on-Chip Sensor for the Rapid in-Situ Detection of Legionella, have begun the testing phase of a device that can instantly detect legionella. The device uses an optical sensor to automatically detect the presence of legionella bacteria. The current method of testing for the presence of legionella takes days, as a sample is taken and analysts wait for a culture of legionella bacteria to grow. The POSEIDON Project is only slated to be installed in HVAC and…
The University of Windsor, located in Windsor, Ontario, shut down its hot water system in a dozen buildings around campus after routine inspections indicated the presence of legionella bacteria. Originally, three hot water systems tested positive for legionella bacteria. Subsequently, nine more buildings were found to have legionella bacteria in their hot water systems. As of now, the local health department has stated that there have been no cases of Legionnaires’ Disease or Pontiac Fever reported to them. The university has stated that it has immediately begun the process of remediating these hot water systems. To read more about this situation, click…
A publicly operated recreation center and ice rink in the Montreal suburb of Beaconsfield has shut down after routine tests of ice condensers indicated a higher-than-normal presence of legionella. There have been no reported cases of Legionnaires Disease as of now. The operators of the recreation center have announced that the arena will be closed to the public for remediation and general maintenance for 6 weeks. These findings come roughly two years after an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease at a similar public recreation center and ice rink in Quebec infected 18 people, resulting in two deaths. Click here to read more…
The Victoria Department of Health and Human Services are investigating an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease in downtown Melbourne believed to have infected at least six people within the past two weeks, with more potential cases being investigated. All six of the victims are reported to have worked in or visited the east side of Melbourne’s Central Business District. One of the victims is said to have been hospitalized within an intensive care unit. All reported victims have been released from the hospital. The health authorities believe that the outbreak is tied to 92 cooling towers within the Central Business District of Melbourne. As…