Legionnaire’s Disease
Legionnaires’ disease is a pneumonia type disease caused by the Gram -ve bacteria Legionella pneumophila. The ailment acquired its name in July 1976 when an outbreak of pneumonia occurred amongst a number of people attending a conference of the United States Legion. The causative agent was later on identified as a previously unidentified bacterium, which was subsequently named Legionella.
Cases of Legionnaires Diseaseobtain significant media attention as the disorder commonly happens as single cases not linked to any recognised outbreak . The death rate of Legionnaires’ disease varies and has ranged from 5% to 30% throughout earlier outbreaks and most microbial infections arise in individuals who are middle-age or older. Men are statistically far more vulnerable than women and people with lowered immune response like diabetics, oncology sufferers and smokers are also at greater threat of contracting the disease.
Patients with Legionnaires’ disease typically have fever, chills, and a cough, that is usually dry and non-productive. Patients may also complain of muscle aches, head ache, tiredness, reduction of appetite, reduction of coordination, and sometimes diarrhea and vomiting. Upper body X-rays can normally show pneumonia with bi-basal consolidation. It is hard to differentiate Legionnaires’ disease from other types of pneumonia by symptoms or x-ray findings alone and other assessments are required for a supported diagnosis.
Legionellosis infection generally happens after inhaling an aerosol (a suspension of fine water particles in the air) consisting of Legionella micro organisms. Such particles might originate from any contaminated water source. When mechanical motion breaks the surface of the water, little water droplets are formed, that evaporate quite quickly. If these droplets include micro organisms, the bacteria cells continue to be suspended in the air, invisible to the bare eye and small enough to be inhaled into the lungs.
Possible sources of such contaminated water include cooling towers employed in industrial cooling water systems as well as in large central air conditioning systems, evaporative coolers, hot water systems, showers, windshield washers, whirlpool spas, architectural water features, room-air humidifiers, ice making machines, misting equipment and related equipment. The illness may also be transmitted from contaminated aerosols created in hot tubs if the disinfection and upkeep plan is not carried out rigorously. The disorder is especially linked with hotels, fountains, cruise ships and hospitals with old, inadequately maintained pipework and cooling systems.
In order to prevent the distribution of Legionella bacteria it is crucial to carry out a Legionella risk assessment. This will assess the probability of a water system to harbour the micro organism and also describe how to minimise the release of the micro organism in aerosols from the system. By doing a Legionella risk assessment a Legionella control program can be carried out to prevent the spread of the disorder.
Although Legionnaire’s Disease can be fatal it can be safely monitored through the implementation of a legionella risk assessment and continuous legionella control.
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