Why do you think it would be unlikely to contract Legionnaires's Disease while camping on the seacoast?

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Well not unlikely if stopping in a complex with cooling towers for air con systems. Fresh water, at temperature above environs and no controlling water additive to prevent Legionares bacteria growth. So suggest camp in tent on beach, salt water, healthy air and zero risk of disease. Just pray no Sunami's and wear hat and watch overexposure to sun as sunburn is painful, especially in the regions not normally exposed in daily life.  (+ info)

Why is it called legionnaires' disease?

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How did this disease come to be given the name legionnaires. Thanks :-)
It was named after the people that first came down with the disease, though probably not the first, at a legionnaire's convention in Philly in 1976. The bacteria was then named Legionella pneumophilia, or "lung loving". It causes a very nasty pneumonia.  (+ info)

Is Legionnaires Disease lethal, does it kill?

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Is this sickness lethal? Does it kill?
It is not a very "nice" disease, and it can be lethal. But, on a brighter note, my Uncle survived it, but he was in the hospital for a while.  (+ info)

can you get legionnaires disease from a leaking air conditioner if it is in a large building office?

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The actual Legionella Bacterium (sp?) needs to be present in the water of the cooling tower. Unless the bacteria is present then no, you won't get it just because there is a leak in the airconditioning. If it is present then it is spread through the airconditioning system, regardless of leaks or not.
I would think after many outbreaks that there would be a law forcing the owners of large buildings to have their cooling towers tested regularly..but then that is only speculation on my part.  (+ info)

Where can I get information about the Legionnaires' disease bacteria? It's structure, how it reproduces, etc?

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General information about Legionnaire's Disease

http://www.cdc.gov/legionella/patient_facts.htm
http://www.ebi.ac.uk/2can/genomes/bacteria/Legionella_pneumophila.html


Gram-negative Legionella pneumophila bacteria image from CDC

http://www.cdc.gov/media/subtopic/library/diseases.htm

Hope this helps!


Easy to understand description and diagram of life cycle etc... (with references to pubmed)

http://www.metapathogen.com/legionella/  (+ info)

Legionnaires' disease question?

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Can legionnaires' disease be cured?

notice there is a difference between cured and treated,
im asking if it can be CURED.
Yes. I'm assuming that by "cured", you mean "treated successfully". The CDC says this:
"Most cases can be treated successfully with antibiotics [drugs that kill bacteria in the body], and healthy people usually recover from infection."  (+ info)

Legionnella Bacteria/Legionnaires Disease?

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If air conditioning systems are adequately cleaned and maintained, can Legionnella bacteria still be present in the system able to transmit legionnaires disease?
If air conditioning symptoms are properly cleaned and maintained, it would not happen.

Even if the systems were neglected, exposure should still not be a risk unless there is a BREAK between the ducts and the water cooling tower and/or condenser. Legionella, if present, grows in those 2 places. If there is a break, then the Legionella could get into the system. If no break is present, the Legionella would remain secluded from the rest of the system.

People exposed to Legionella don't necessarily become infected. It can affect healthy people, but most of the time infections occur in immunocompromised people and smokers.  (+ info)

what area does legionnaires disease occur in?

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Mainly the lungs. But it affects quite a few of the other body systems.  (+ info)

Did I have legionnaires disease?

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I was wanting some sort of advice into a illness I had in October 2009 which was not diagnosed and I feel it may have been Legionnaires disease.
I am from the UK but was working on an old badly maintained Russian ship in the Arctic circle at the time. For four weeks we never set eyes on land and was 500 miles from the nearest port and other people during this time and I was taken ill 3 and a half weeks into the trip. This was also at the hight of the swine flu scare and no one else on board the vessel was taken ill but myself to my knowledge.
During the first few weeks it became apparent that the water on board the vessel had been contaminated with salt water due to under maintained old equipment the ships engineer then had to fill a dormant empty tank of water with made fresh water to keep the vessel supplied. This new source of water was brown in colour due to rust and sludge which had not been cleaned from the tank. I was showering in this and had been brushing my teeth also the air-conditioning were in use 24 hours a day.
I visited the doctor on board and complained about feeling tired with muscle aches headaches and what I could only describe as feeling light headed and not feeling to good in my brain sort of going mad. I visited the doctor several times in 10 days with the same complaint and was given aspirins and told it could be because we were working so far north that the magnetic pole could be causing the headaches. The doctors English was not good and I had to read through a computer translation program what the doctor was writing
After about 10 days everything became much worse and I had developed severe fatigue, chest pains and trouble breathing, a slight cough and fever also had not been eating well. When I visited the doctor on this final occasion my temperature was very high about 39 degrees C and I was confined to bed and isolated from the rest of the ships crew. I slept for 24 hours and was not given any food during this time and had no idea what drugs the doctor gave me. From what i could work out when I asked they were paracetamol, anti histamine and antibiotics. After a few days of this I eventually got back to port but was encouraged not to see a doctor in Norway and to get a flight home from and see my local GP as any suggestion of swine flu or legionella could impound the vessel and potentially stop a job costing all parties involved (which included the Russian government) a lot of money and hassle. The information I got from the Doctor on the Russian ship inconclusive and was suggested that I had a cold and my GP gave me Tami flu as a precaution of swine flu but had never heard of the antibiotics I had been given on the vessel. The fatigue, illness, lack of appetite, temperature and my general metal health was in a bad way for up to 5 weeks later. Could there be a chance this was Legionnaires disease and if so how can I prove it was. I feel I was just another pawn in the game. Maybe someone knows what I could able to do about this I feel my employer and the owners of the Russian vessel did not care.
You have hypochondria googalitis. It's a common condition. The Russians don't care. It's their motto.  (+ info)

Pneumonia or Legionnaires Disease?

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Iam recovering in hospital for 2 weeks after being admitted with pneomonia but as i did not respond to treatment the doctor is now treating me for Legionairs Disease possibly caught on board an aircraft,

Anyone know the main differance between the two and if its possible to catch from aircraft air conditiong system?

Before i became ill was on a long haul flight 2/3 days before with faulty system,too hot and then freezing cold.

Thanks
Legionnaires' disease is a severe bacterial infection of the respiratory tract, caused by Legionella pneumophila.


Description of Legionnaires' Disease
The disease acquired its name as a result of an outbreak of illness during the 1976 convention of the American Legion held in Philadelphia. At least 180 American Legion members attending the conference contracted a mysterious pneumonia that did not respond to conventional antibiotic treatment. Twenty nine people died. Eventually, the villain turned out to be Legionella pneumophila, a bacteria that was proliferating in the hotel's air conditioning system. Other outbreaks have since occurred in the U.S. and Europe. http://www.healthscout.com/ency/68/515/main.html  (+ info)

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