Legionnaires’ Disease

By Adrian MacGregor
 Disease Name
• The bacterial name for this is Legionella
Pneumphila
 History Of The Bacteria
• Known of but not identified since 1947
• The disease was identified in 1976 when
a outbreak of respiratory sickness
among people at the American legion
convention in Philadelphia, the bacteria
was in the hotel and was spread
throughout the building via its air
conditioning
• . Another was in the Netherlands in 1999
during a flower exhibition in
Bovenkarspel. 200 people became sick
and 32 people died
 Etiology
• When a person gets the bacteria the body
sends out cells to fight them off, but the
bacteria is stronger and eats the cells, the
bacteria continues to grow as the body
gets weaker.
 Mode of Transmission
• The bacteria is found in warm, still water
and soil the bacteria has sunk into, the
water then is evaporated and becomes
airborne..
 Symptoms
• 2-10 days the symptoms can be a fever, chills, headaches, muscle
pain, low appetite, tiredness, and a dry cough.
• Soon after that the symptoms evolve and become chest pain, a
fever that goes up and down, confusion, diarrhoea, stomach pain,
and delirium the cough would have started to spit up bloody flem
and there might be blood in your pee.
• In some cases you can experience kidney failure and death.
 Prevention
• You can stop the spread of this by getting
rid of still water and regularly disinfect your
air ducts, humidifiers, shower heads, taps,
and pipes.
 Treatments and Cures
• In order to treat this disease you must get IV liquids
(usually erythromycin). Everything depends on how bad
your disease is and of course allergies etc. It is said to
drink lots and sleep lots just like with almost every
disease. Old people and kids usually take longer to heal
it usually takes 2 or so weeks.

HAR
D

Well
that
sucks
 Bibliography
• http://www.annals.org/content/90/4/656.abstract
• http://www.hmc.psu.edu/healthinfo/jkl/legionnair
es.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legionellosis
• http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/l/legionnaires_di
sease/stats-country.htm