What is legionnaires' disease?

What is legionnaires' disease?

• Legionnaires' disease is an infection of the lungs (pneumonia) caused by bacteria of the Legionella family. The bacteria is commonly found in the environment, but infection only occurs in at-risk people.

Who is at risk?

• Legionnaires' disease most often affects middle-aged and older people, particularly those who smoke or have chronic lung disease.
• Also at increased risk are people whose immune systems are weak because of medication or diseases such as cancer, kidney failure, diabetes or AIDS.
• Pregnant women with lung disorders or reduced immunity.
• Well patients, children and babies are at very low risk.

What are the symptoms?

• Legionnaires' disease usually causes fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath.
• Some people also have muscle aches, headaches, tiredness, loss of appetite and diarrhoea.
• People can become very sick with pneumonia; most people recover but the disease is occasionally fatal.

How is it spread?

• Legionnaires' disease can occur after a person breathes in contaminated water vapour or dust from such places as airconditioning cooling towers, whirlpool spas, shower heads and other bodies of water.
• Legionnaires' disease is not spread from person to person.
• The time between the patient's exposure to the bacteria and becoming sick is two to 10 days.
• Legionnaires' disease is not spread from ingesting or drinking water.

How is it diagnosed?

• It is difficult to distinguish legionnaires' disease by symptoms alone. Chest X-rays help diagnose pneumonia but the diagnosis of legionnaires' disease requires special tests.
• Tests of blood samples (taken three to six weeks apart), sputum and urine help confirm the diagnosis.
• Alerting your doctor to possible exposure to legionnaires' disease is also important.

How is it treated?

• Legionnaires disease can usually be cured by treatment with antibiotics.

What should you do?

• If you develop symptoms of respiratory or viral illness, contact your Wesley Hospital specialist or GP.
• Alert your GP or doctor of possible exposure to legionnaires' bacteria.
• If you have no symptoms, no test is available or required.