scholarly journals A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak associated with cooling towers in Warstein, Germany, August 2013

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (S1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Jurke ◽  
A Maisa ◽  
F Renken ◽  
A Brockmann ◽  
C Lück ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Cooling Towers ◽  
Legionnaires Disease

scholarly journals A large Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Pamplona, Spain: early detection, rapid control and no case fatality

2007 ◽  
Vol 136 (6) ◽  
pp. 823-832 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. CASTILLA ◽  
A. BARRICARTE ◽  
J. ALDAZ ◽  
M. GARCÍA CENOZ ◽  
T. FERRER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Detection ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Cooling Towers ◽  
Resident Population ◽  
Null Case ◽  
Environmental Actions ◽  
Rapid Control ◽  
Legionnaires Disease

SUMMARYAn outbreak of Legionnaire's disease was detected in Pamplona, Spain, on 1 June 2006. Patients with pneumonia were tested to detectLegionella pneumophilaantigen in urine (Binax Now; Binax Inc., Scarborough, ME, USA), and all 146 confirmed cases were interviewed. The outbreak was related to district 2 (22 012 inhabitants), where 45% of the cases lived and 50% had visited; 5% lived in neighbouring districts. The highest incidence was found in the resident population of district 2 (3/1000 inhabitants), section 2 (14/1000). All 31 cooling towers of district 2 were analysed.L. pneumophilaantigen (Binax Now) was detected in four towers, which were closed on 2 June. Only the strain isolated in a tower situated in section 2 of district 2 matched all five clinical isolates, as assessed by mAb and two genotyping methods, AFLP and PFGE. Eight days after closing the towers, new cases ceased appearing. Early detection and rapid coordinated medical and environmental actions permitted immediate control of the outbreak and probably contributed to the null case fatality.

scholarly journals Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak at a Resort in Cozumel, Mexico

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee M. Hampton ◽  
Laurel Garrison ◽  
Jessica Kattan ◽  
Ellen Brown ◽  
Natalia A. Kozak-Muiznieks ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Water System ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Community Acquired Pneumonia ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Medical Providers ◽  
Cozumel Island ◽  
European Working ◽  
Legionnaires Disease

Abstract Background.  A Legionnaires' disease (LD) outbreak at a resort on Cozumel Island in Mexico was investigated by a joint Mexico-United States team in 2010. This is the first reported LD outbreak in Mexico, where LD is not a reportable disease. Methods.  Reports of LD among travelers were solicited from US health departments and the European Working Group for Legionella Infections. Records from the resort and Cozumel Island health facilities were searched for possible LD cases. In April 2010, the resort was searched for possible Legionella exposure sources. The temperature and total chlorine of the water at 38 sites in the resort were measured, and samples from those sites were tested for Legionella. Results.  Nine travelers became ill with laboratory-confirmed LD within 2 weeks of staying at the resort between May 2008 and April 2010. The resort and its potable water system were the only common exposures. No possible LD cases were identified among resort workers. Legionellae were found to have extensively colonized the resort's potable water system. Legionellae matching a case isolate were found in the resort's potable water system. Conclusions.  Medical providers should test for LD when treating community-acquired pneumonia that is severe or affecting patients who traveled in the 2 weeks before the onset of symptoms. When an LD outbreak is detected, the source should be identified and then aggressively remediated. Because LD can occur in tropical and temperate areas, all countries should consider making LD a reportable disease if they have not already done so.

scholarly journals Complete Genome Sequences of the HistoricalLegionella pneumophilaStrains OLDA and Pontiac

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey W. Mercante ◽  
Shatavia S. Morrison ◽  
Brian H. Raphael ◽  
Jonas M. Winchell
Keyword(s):  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Complete Genome ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Sporadic Case ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Genome Sequences ◽  
Outbreak Strain ◽  
Legionnaires Disease

Here, we report the complete genome sequences ofLegionella pneumophilaserogroup 1 strains OLDA and Pontiac, which predate the 1976 Philadelphia Legionnaires’ disease outbreak. Strain OLDA was isolated in 1947 from an apparent sporadic case, and strain Pontiac caused an explosive outbreak at a Michigan health department in 1968.

scholarly journals Applying probability-weighted incubation period distributions to traditional wind rose methodology to improve public health investigations of Legionnaires' disease outbreaks

2020 ◽  
Vol 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Bays ◽  
E. Bennett ◽  
T. Finnie
Keyword(s):  
Incubation Period ◽  
Probability Distributions ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Relative Volume ◽  
Wind Rose ◽  
Outbreak Management ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Potential Improvement ◽  
And Control

Abstract In the event of a Legionnaires' disease outbreak, rapid location and control of the source of bacteria are crucial for outbreak management and regulation. In this paper, we describe an enhancement of the traditional wind rose for epidemiological use; shifting the focus of measurement from relative frequency of the winds speeds and directions to the relative volume of air carried, whilst also incorporating probability distributions of disease incubation periods to refine identification of the important wind directions during a cases window of exposure, i.e. from which direction contaminated aerosols most likely originated. The probability-weighted wind rose offers a potential improvement over the traditional wind rose by weighting the importance of wind measurements through incorporation of probability of exposure given an individual's time of symptom onset (obtained through knowledge of the incubation period), and by instead focusing on the volume of carrying air which offers better insight into the most probable direction of the source. This then provides a probabilistic distribution of which direction the wind was blowing around the time of infection. We discuss how the probability-weighted wind rose can be implemented during a Legionnaires' disease outbreak, and how outbreak control teams might use it as supportive evidence to identify the most likely direction of the contaminated source from the presumed site of exposure. In addition, this paper discusses how minor adjustments can be made to the method allowing the probability-weighted wind rose to be applied to other non-communicable airborne diseases, providing the disease's probability distribution for the incubation period distribution is well known.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Flint, Michigan

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (8) ◽  
pp. E1730-E1739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sammy Zahran ◽  
Shawn P. McElmurry ◽  
Paul E. Kilgore ◽  
David Mushinski ◽  
Jack Press ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Census Tract ◽  
Water System ◽  
Disease Outbreak ◽  
Free Chlorine ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Genesee County ◽  
Flint River ◽  
Boil Water Advisories

The 2014–2015 Legionnaires’ disease (LD) outbreak in Genesee County, MI, and the outbreak resolution in 2016 coincided with changes in the source of drinking water to Flint’s municipal water system. Following the switch in water supply from Detroit to Flint River water, the odds of a Flint resident presenting with LD increased 6.3-fold (95% CI: 2.5, 14.0). This risk subsided following boil water advisories, likely due to residents avoiding water, and returned to historically normal levels with the switch back in water supply. During the crisis, as the concentration of free chlorine in water delivered to Flint residents decreased, their risk of acquiring LD increased. When the average weekly chlorine level in a census tract was <0.5 mg/L or <0.2 mg/L, the odds of an LD case presenting from a Flint neighborhood increased by a factor of 2.9 (95% CI: 1.4, 6.3) or 3.9 (95% CI: 1.8, 8.7), respectively. During the switch, the risk of a Flint neighborhood having a case of LD increased by 80% per 1 mg/L decrease in free chlorine, as calculated from the extensive variation in chlorine observed. In communities adjacent to Flint, the probability of LD occurring increased with the flow of commuters into Flint. Together, the results support the hypothesis that a system-wide proliferation of legionellae was responsible for the LD outbreak in Genesee County, MI.

scholarly journals Legionnaires Disease

2018 ◽  
Vol 08 (02) ◽  
pp. 049-052
Author(s):  
Sandeep K. R. ◽  
Sandhya Rani B. S.
Keyword(s):  
Hot Water ◽  
Contaminated Water ◽  
Atypical Pneumonia ◽  
Cooling Towers ◽  
Air Conditioners ◽  
History Of ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Clinical Awareness ◽  
Hot Tubs ◽  
Water Tanks

AbstractLegionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by any type of Legionella bacteria. The bacterium is found naturally in fresh water.[4] It can contaminate hot water tanks, hot tubs, and cooling towers of large air conditioners.[4] It is usually spread by breathing in mist that contains the bacteria.[4] It can also occur when contaminated water is aspirated.[4] It typically does not spread directly between people and most people who are exposed do not become infected.[4] Risk factors for infection include older age, history of smoking, chronic lung disease, and poor immune function.[5] There is still a low level of clinical awareness regarding Legionnaires' disease 25 years after it was first detected.

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