A suburban Philadelphia high school has been shut down today after legionella bacteria was found in the school’s hot water system. The school was conducting routine testing of their water systems when a water sample from a spigot in the boiler room tested positive for legionella bacteria. This was the only area in the school that tested positive for legionella. The superintendent of the Kennett Consolidated School District, Barry W. Tomasetti, posted a bulletin to the school district’s website informing students and families of these findings. The school district stated that it is working closely with the Chester County Health Department and…
The first recorded outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease happened in 1976 in Philadelphia at a conference for American Legion members. There were a total of 182 cases of the disease, 29 of which were fatal. Legionnaires’ Disease is a form of pneumonia caused by the legionella bacteria. Legionnaires’ Disease is also known as legionellosis. The disease takes anywhere from 2 to 14 days to take hold within the body. There are over 50 species of legionella bacteria. The most common by far is legionella pneumophila. Species of legionella are often named after the area in which they were found. There is a species of legionella called…