Medical symptoms - Legionnaire’s disease (legionellosis)
Legionellosis is an infection caused by the Legionella bacteria. Depending on it’s severity, the ‘disease’ is referred to ‘Pontiac fever’ (the mild respiratory illness) or ‘Legionnaire’s disease’ when it develops into pnemonia. Whilst people with Pontiac fever recover after 5 days without treatment, people with Legionnaire’s disease need rapid treatment as it can be life threatening.
Where are Legionella bacteria found?
These are usually found in stagnant water, evaporative condensers of large air conditioning units (eg in the shopping malls), commonly also in potting mix - which is why there is a warning for those using potting mix to be careful to dish it out in open well ventilated spaces and to wear a dust mask to prevent inhaling the dust. It cannot be spread from one person to another. It can only be caught from inhaling the bacteria in the fine mist of water that contains the bacteria.
Medical symptoms
Early symptoms include :
- headache
- tiredness
- fever
- loss of appetite
- coughing
- cold chills
These can progress to pneumonia which would result in difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, persistent fever.
Predisposing factors
People with pre-existing respiratory conditions eg asthma, smokers, chronic lung disease or diseases that lower their immune system defences eg diabetes, kidney problems are predisposed to developing the more severe form. Which is why a lot of reported cases occur in people over 50.
Treatment for Legionnaire’s disease
Treatment involves courses of antibiotics (erythromycin).
See other medical symptoms