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What You Need to Know About Legionella and Legionnaires’ Disease What is Legionella? Legionella are bacteria found naturally in surface and drinking water, as well as in soil. There are currently 59 known species of Legionella, with Legionella pneumophila being the most frequent cause of Legionnaires’ Disease. Legionella are Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria, which grow best at temperatures between 20-42oC (68-108oF). This allows them to proliferate in building […]

History of Legionnaires’ Disease An Unwelcome Guest at the United States’ Bicentennial Legionnaires’ disease was first reported in the summer of 1976, a year in which the United States celebrated its bicentennial. Nowhere was the historic celebration more meaningful than in the city of Philadelphia, often called the birthplace of the nation. During that summer, the City of Brotherly Love […]

Legionella Testing, Hot Tubs & Spas Legionnaires’ Disease in Hot Tubs Both public and personal hot tubs are at risk for harboring bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ Disease. In 2018, 15 people were sickened at a New Hampshire hotel from a Legionella outbreak that was traced to the property’s hot tub. This fall, 128 people fell ill after exposure to a […]

Testing for Legionella The Bacterial Cause of Legionnaires’ Disease Legionnaires’ disease was first reported in 1976 after an outbreak among attendees at an American Legion convention. This pneumonia-like lung infection proved deadly and, at the time, its source was unknown. Legionella pneumophila was subsequently discovered as the cause of the outbreak and it was soon understood that this bacterium thrived […]