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Current Environmental Health Reports Mar 2022
Topics: Disease Outbreaks; Humans; Legionnaires' Disease
PubMed: 34003468
DOI: 10.1007/s40572-021-00319-3 -
Scandinavian Journal of Work,... Jun 1999During a hot and humid summer period workers became ill with fever and flu-like symptoms after repairing a decanter for sludge concentration at a sewage treatment plant....
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
During a hot and humid summer period workers became ill with fever and flu-like symptoms after repairing a decanter for sludge concentration at a sewage treatment plant. The work took place over a period of 10 days in a small closed room, while another decanter was in operation and was consequently emitting aerosol to the environment, to which the workers were exposed. The aim of this study was to determine the cause of this outbreak of febrile illness so that additional cases could be prevented.
METHODS
All 5 patients were seen and examined in the Department of Occupational Medicine. Furthermore 2 of the workers had recurrent illness and were examined during hospitalization. As Pontiac fever (nonpneumonic legionellosis) was suspected, antibodies to legionellae were measured in blood samples. After positive antibody titers to Legionella pneumophila were found, samples of the sludge were collected for legionellae culture.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
The clinical picture agreed with that described for Pontiac fever, and positive antibody titers to L. pneumophila serogroup 1 were found in blood from all 5 patients. L. pneumophila serogroup 1 was cultured in high amounts from sludge from the decanter. It was concluded that the fever was caused by L. pneumophila emitted to the environment by the uncovered decanter. Procedures for preventing new cases were established.
Topics: Aerosols; Food Industry; Humans; Legionnaires' Disease; Occupational Diseases; Recurrence; Sewage; Waste Management
PubMed: 10450782
DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.437 -
Lancet (London, England) Jan 1981
Topics: Amoeba; Humans; Legionella; Legionnaires' Disease; Temperature
PubMed: 6109071
DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)90141-0 -
American Journal of Public Health May 1987In late April 1984, an outbreak of Pontiac fever was investigated in an office building in lower Manhattan (New York City). The outbreak was characterized by a high...
In late April 1984, an outbreak of Pontiac fever was investigated in an office building in lower Manhattan (New York City). The outbreak was characterized by a high attack rate (78 per cent overall); the predominant symptoms were myalgias, chills, fatigue, fever, and headache. There was a clustering of cases in an office that was air cooled by a dedicated cooling tower separate from the remainder of the building. A high concentration of live L. Pneumophila cells in the cooling tower was quantified. Airborne spread via settle plates placed along the air intake system and within the office was demonstrated. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen was found in the urine of two cases, and identical monoclonal antibody reactivity patterns of isolates from all sources was observed. Difficulty was experienced in eliminating the organism from the tower.
Topics: Adult; Disease Outbreaks; Epidemiologic Methods; Humans; Legionella; Legionnaires' Disease; New York City; Water Supply
PubMed: 3565648
DOI: No ID Found -
American Journal of Epidemiology Feb 1978In July 1968, an explosive epidemic of acute febrile illness occurred at a county health department facility in Pontiac, Michigan. Illness characterized principally by...
In July 1968, an explosive epidemic of acute febrile illness occurred at a county health department facility in Pontiac, Michigan. Illness characterized principally by fever, headache, myalgia, and malaise affected at least 144 persons, including 95 of 100 persons employed in the health department building. The mean incubation period was approximately 36 hours. Illness was self-limited, generally lasting from two to five days. Secondary cases did not occur in family contacts and second attacks did not consistently follow re-exposure in the building. A defective air-conditioning system was implicated as the source and mechanism of spread of the causative factor. However, extensive laboratory and environmental investigations failed to identify the etiologic agent. Since these investigations a bacterium similar to or identical with the agent responsible for Legionnaires' Disease has been isolated from guinea pigs exposed to the Pontiac health department building in 1968 as well as from guinea pigs exposed to water from the evaporative condenser. Paired sera from 32 cases of Pontiac Fever showed seroconversion or diagnostic rises in antibody titers to this bacterium.
Topics: Acute Disease; Air Conditioning; Bacterial Infections; Disease Outbreaks; Fever of Unknown Origin; Government Agencies; Legionnaires' Disease; Michigan; Syndrome; Water Microbiology
PubMed: 623097
DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112517 -
Euro Surveillance : Bulletin Europeen... Jul 2008
Topics: Adult; Disease Outbreaks; Female; Humans; Legionella pneumophila; Legionnaires' Disease; Swimming Pools; United Kingdom
PubMed: 18761912
DOI: No ID Found -
Medizinische Monatsschrift Fur... Jan 1998
Review
Topics: Diagnosis, Differential; Humans; Legionella pneumophila; Legionellaceae; Legionellosis; Legionnaires' Disease; Philadelphia
PubMed: 9499686
DOI: No ID Found -
American Journal of Epidemiology Sep 1981Pontiac fever, a unique epidemiologic form of legionellosis, is characterized by a short (one- to two-day) incubation period and a self-limited grippe-like illness...
Pontiac fever, a unique epidemiologic form of legionellosis, is characterized by a short (one- to two-day) incubation period and a self-limited grippe-like illness without pneumonia. In 1968, the first documented outbreak of this syndrome affected persons who had entered a health department building in Pontiac, Michigan. Epidemiologic analyses clearly implicated as airborne agent and suggested that evaporative condenser water aerosols being disseminated by a defective air conditioning system played a key role in the outbreak. Guinea pigs that were exposed in the building and to laboratory aerosols of evaporative condenser water developed bronchopneumonia. Legionella pneumophilia (serogroup 1) was isolated from the exposed guinea pigs' lungs. Paired acute and convalescent serum specimens from 37 patients were tested by the indirect fluorescent antibody technique using L. pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen, and 31 (84%) had rises in titer from less than 32 to greater than or equal to 64.
Topics: Air Conditioning; Air Microbiology; Animals; Disease Outbreaks; Epidemiologic Methods; Guinea Pigs; Humans; Legionella; Legionnaires' Disease; Michigan
PubMed: 7304569
DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113200 -
Clinical Infectious Diseases : An... Jun 1998We investigated an outbreak of fever, most likely due to a contaminated whirlpool, among nine adults and six children residing in a summerhouse. The outbreak was...
We investigated an outbreak of fever, most likely due to a contaminated whirlpool, among nine adults and six children residing in a summerhouse. The outbreak was characterized by a high attack rate, short incubation periods, influenza-like symptoms, and rapid recoveries, all features typical of Pontiac fever. However, the children had less-characteristic symptoms than the adults, and they did not have any sequelae. Findings on the children's chest radiographs were unremarkable, and none of the children had leukocytosis. Evidence of Legionella pneumophila infection was found in six cases: in one case by isolation of L. pneumophila serogroup 1 and detection of legionellae by PCR, and in five cases by seroconversion to the clinical isolate. Six additional cases had presumptive evidence of legionella infection, with seroconversion to Legionella micdadei antigen; a PCR assay was also positive for legionellae for one of these cases. In contrast, two adult nonusers of the whirlpool had no symptoms and no serological evidence of infection. Serological testing and cultures for other pathogens, as well as cultures of all environmental samples, were negative. This investigation demonstrates the differences between adults and children with respect to the clinical picture of Pontiac fever; furthermore, it shows that culture and PCR assay of tracheal aspirates for legionellae can be performed in a hospital setting for rapid diagnosis, although the sensitivities of these methods are low.
Topics: Adult; Child; Child, Preschool; Denmark; Disease Outbreaks; Female; Humans; Hydrotherapy; Legionella pneumophila; Legionnaires' Disease; Male; Norway
PubMed: 9636866
DOI: 10.1086/516354 -
Epidemiology and Infection Nov 2014We investigated a mixed outbreak of Legionnaires' disease (LD) and Pontiac fever (PF) at a military base to identify the outbreak's environmental source as well as known...
We investigated a mixed outbreak of Legionnaires' disease (LD) and Pontiac fever (PF) at a military base to identify the outbreak's environmental source as well as known legionellosis risk factors. Base workers with possible legionellosis were interviewed and, if consenting, underwent testing for legionellosis. A retrospective cohort study collected information on occupants of the buildings closest to the outbreak source. We identified 29 confirmed and probable LD and 38 PF cases. All cases were exposed to airborne pathogens from a cooling tower. Occupants of the building closest to the cooling tower were 6·9 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2·2-22·0] and 5·5 (95% CI 2·1-14·5) times more likely to develop LD and PF, respectively, than occupants of the next closest building. Thorough preventive measures and aggressive responses to outbreaks, including searching for PF cases in mixed legionellosis outbreaks, are essential for legionellosis control.
Topics: Acute Disease; Adult; Age Distribution; Cohort Studies; Confidence Intervals; Disease Outbreaks; Environmental Exposure; Female; Fever; Humans; Incidence; Legionella pneumophila; Legionellosis; Legionnaires' Disease; Male; Middle Aged; Military Facilities; Military Personnel; Respiratory Tract Infections; Retrospective Studies; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Sex Distribution; United States; Young Adult
PubMed: 25267405
DOI: 10.1017/S0950268813003440