Legionella Bacteria - Photo Credit CDC PHIL
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Yesterday Crof reported on the UK: Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Stoke-on-Trent that involved 7 patients hailing from that city in Staffordshire, England.
Today, we’ve an update from the HPA indicates that two more cases have been identified, and that early microbiology testing is consistent with there being an (as yet, unidentified) common source.
3.00pm update on Legionnaires' disease in Stoke-on-Trent
25 July 2012
Two further case of Legionnaires' disease have been confirmed in the Stoke-on-Trent outbreak bringing the total number of cases to nine. All those affected are between their late 40s and mid 70s and are being treated at University Hospital of North Staffordshire. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is also investigating two cases identified in early summer as being possibly linked to the current cluster.
Professor Harsh Duggal, Director of the Health Protection Unit in Stafford, said: “Early microbiology typing results back from the HPA laboratories show that samples taken from some of the patients look very similar so far and this is consistent with the cases having caught their infection from the same environmental source. We are taking detailed histories of the movements of the patients to see if there are similar patterns which would indicate a local source of infection.
While an infectious pneumonia, Legionella is not a contagious disease. It is transmitted environmentally, usually through water.
Legionella got it’s name after it was identified as the bacterial cause of a large pneumonia outbreak at Philadelphia’s Bellevue Stratford Hotel during an American Legion convention in 1976.
During this outbreak, 221 people were treated and 34 died.
We now know Legionella to be a major cause of infectious pneumonia, and that it can sometimes spark large outbreaks of illness. According to the CDC between 8,000 and 18,000 Americans are hospitalized with Legionnaire's Disease each year, although many more milder cases likely occur.
For more information on the disease, the CDC maintains a fact sheet at Patient Facts: Learn More about Legionnaires' disease.
The bacteria thrives in warm water, such as is often found in air-conditioning cooling towers, hot tubs, and even ornamental water fountains. Improper maintenance or poor design can lead to the bacteria blooming.
When water is sprayed into the air the bacteria can become airborne, and if inhaled by a susceptible host, can cause a serious (and sometimes fatal) form of pneumonia.
While large outbreaks of Legionella are often traced to specific causes, quite often the source of the infection for sporadic cases remains a mystery.
Today’s HPA announcement stresses that these cases are not hospital acquired, and that the authorities are working to identify the source.
