A major focus of Legionnaires' disease in Bloomington, Indiana

• Published in: Annals of internal medicine Vol. 90; no. 4; p. 587
• Main Authors: Politi, B D, Fraser, D W, Mallison, G F, Mohatt, J V, Morris, G K, Patton, C M, Feeley, J C, Telle, R D, Bennett, J V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.04.1979
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Air Conditioning; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Disease Outbreaks - epidemiology; Disinfection; Environmental Exposure; Female; Humans; Indiana; Legionnaires' Disease - epidemiology; Legionnaires' Disease - etiology; Legionnaires' Disease - transmission; Male; Middle Aged; Risk; Sodium Hypochlorite; Universities; Indiana
• ISSN: 0003-4819
• DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-90-4-587

Thirty-nine cases of Legionnaires' disease in a 16-month period were identified in visitors to and residents of Bloomington, Indiana. Thirty-five patients had spent at least one night at the Indiana Memorial Union in the 2 weeks before becoming ill. Five of 32 sporadic cases nationwide between 1 January and 31 March 1978 were retrospectively shown to be in persons who had recently visited the Union. The risk of acquiring Legionnaires' disease as a Union visitor was at least 17 times greater than that for Bloomington residents 20 years or older. Employees who had worked at the Union 5 years or longer were more likely to be seropositive than workers in other Bloomington hotels. Legionnaires' disease bacterium was isolated from five environmental sites in Bloomington. A cooling tower may have been involved in disease spread, but it was not the only source. Hypochlorite solution was added to cooling tower water as a precautionary measure; however, one case was confirmed in a man with Union exposure 9 days after hypochlorite treatment had begun.