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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffFirst identified in 1976 as the result of an outbreak of pneumonia at an American Legion convention, Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia. Legionnaires' disease is caused by a bacterium known as legionella.
You can't catch Legionnaires' disease from person-to-person contact. Instead, most people get Legionnaires' disease from inhaling the bacteria. Older adults, smokers and people with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible to Legionnaires' disease.
Legionella bacterium also causes Pontiac fever, a milder illness resembling the flu. Separately or together, the two illnesses are sometimes called legionellosis. Pontiac fever usually clears on its own. But untreated Legionnaires' disease can be fatal. Although prompt treatment with antibiotics usually cures Legionnaires' disease, some people continue to experience problems after treatment.
- Pedro-Botet LM, et al. Epidemiology and pathogenesis of legionella infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 5, 2008.
- Patient facts: Learn more about Legionnaires' disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/legionella/patient_facts.htm. Accessed Nov. 21, 2008.
- Tossa P, et al. Pontiac fever: An operational definition for epidemiological studies. BMC Public Health. 2006;6:112.
- Pedro-Botet LM, et al. Treatment and prevention of legionella infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 5, 2008.
- Top 10 things every clinician needs to know about legionellosis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/legionella/top10.htm. Accessed Nov. 21, 2008.
- Pedro-Botet LM, et al. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of legionella infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 5, 2008.
- Neil K, et al. Increasing incidence of legionellosis in the United States, 1990-2005: Changing epidemiologic trends. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2008;47:591.
- Nhu Nguyen TM, et al. A community-wide outbreak of Legionnaires disease linked to industrial cooling towers - How far can contaminated aerosols spread? Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2006;193:102.
- Legionnaires' disease associated with potting soil - California, Oregon, and Washington. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4934a1.htm. Accessed Nov. 4, 2008.
- Legionellosis. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs285/en/index.html. Accessed Nov. 24, 2008.
