Limiting Legionnaire’s Disease

You feel like you have the flu. You’re feverish with a temperature of 102 degrees. You’re weak, achy and tired. You have a headache, diarrhea, and shortness of breath. You recently got back from a six-day cruise around the Mediterranean. You may have Legionnaire’s disease.

Legionnaire’s disease dates back to 1976. That’s when bacteria infected and sickened a group of people attending a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion of Pennsylvania. Scientists named the bacteria Legionella pneumophila and the illness Legionnaire’s disease after the group that drew attention to this unique form of pneumonia.

Legionnaire’s disease is a type of pneumonia (a lung infection) that can become life-threatening. You can get it after inhaling one of a group of bacteria called legionella. There are 35 types of legionella that scientists link to the disease, but a specific form called L. pneumophila causes 90 percent of infections.

The good news is just because legionella bacteria happen to be around, it doesn’t mean it is likely to infect you. In fact, they seem to be mostly harmless in lakes and streams. To cause an infection, they usually must multiply to high levels around man-made appliances and structures like air conditioners, fountains and water towers.

You’re unlikely to get the disease from simply drinking or touching contaminated water. Once legionella builds up to a certain level, it must form droplets small enough to move through the air and infect your lungs. Think of steam in a shower or vapor from a humidifier. You also might get it from airborne potting soil, or if you choke on contaminated water and it gets in your lungs (aspiration).

If you get Legionnaire’s disease, you will start to feel tired, weak, and achy two to 10 days after being infected. It is common to get a fever higher than 103 F and a cough that can produce colored or bloody mucus. You also may have a headache, shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Legionnaire’s disease is probably not contagious. There is little, if any, evidence you can spread Legionnaire’s disease from person to person. So there is no need to wear a mask around other people regarding this disease like you might for with other serious infections like SARS or influenza.

If you are healthy and young and you breathe in legionella, you’re less likely than others to get Legionnaire’s disease. Your risk goes up if:

·       You’re over 50

·       You smoke (or have in the past)

·       You have lung disease (such as COPD or emphysema)

·       You have diabetes, cancer, kidney problems or liver failure

·       Drugs, illness or organ transplant has weakened your immune system

The most common and serious sign of legionella is the pneumonia of Legionnaire’s disease. That’s when pus or fluid fills the sacs in your lungs. Your doctor will listen to your chest, ask about your symptoms, and take a chest X-ray to tell for sure if you have it. A test of your phlegm, spit, or urine can help tell whether legionella or some other germ caused the pneumonia.

To treat the pneumonia, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics. Two types, quinolones (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin) and macrolides (azithromycin), work especially well against the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s disease. The sooner you start, the less likely you are to have complications that put you in the hospital.

You should see a doctor as soon as possible if you think you have been exposed to legionella bacteria. Because it causes such a serious form of pneumonia, early detection and treatment with antibiotics is key to making a full recovery. This is especially true if you’re over 50, you’re already ill, or if you have been a smoker at some point in your life.

Some complications with this illness are:

Lung failure: Your lungs can’t get enough oxygen into your blood and enough carbon dioxide out of it.

Septic shock: This can happen if an infection makes your blood pressure drop and cuts blood to your organs. Your heart first works harder to try to help but eventually weakens and cuts blood flow even more.

Kidney failure: When your kidneys stop working, toxins, fluid, and waste material build up in your body, which can cause tissue damage and illness.

Legionella bacteria can cause another illness, Pontiac fever. But unlike Legionnaire’s disease, it doesn’t cause pneumonia. You usually get flu-like symptoms. Fever, chills, a headache, muscle aches are common. It starts about two days after you’re infected and usually goes away without treatment in two to five days.

Just remember that in some cases, Legionnaire’s disease can be fatal. You may need to overhaul your mental and physical health. Exercise is recommended to toughen your immune system. There are ways to destress mentally like yoga and meditation. Take care of yourself and your body may thank you by not becoming vulnerable to this disease or shorten the duration if you do get Legionnaire’s disease.