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Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal Community outbreak of Legionnaires disease in Vic-Gurb, Spain in October and November 2005

Climate Change and Human Health Literature Portal

Sala MR, Arias C, Oliva JM, Pedrol A, Roura P, Dominguez A
2007
Euro Surveillance (Bulletin Europeen Sur Les Maladies Transmissibles; European Communicable Disease Bulletin). 12 (3): 691

This paper reports the investigation of a community-acquired outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the municipalities of Vic and Gurb (Central Region of Catalonia, Spain). There were 55 cases reported in October and November 2005. An epidemiological and environmental investigation was undertaken. Thirty-five case patients (64%) lived in Vic or Gurb, while 36% had visited or worked in Vic or Gurb during the 10 days before onset of symptoms, but no commonly frequented building could be identified. Water probes for culture were obtained from 30 cooling towers. In five cooling towers of two industrial settings in Gurb (plants A and B), Legionella pneumophila (Lp) serogroup 1 was present. Two Lp-1 strains were recovered from cooling towers in plants A and B. The Lp-1 strain from plant A showed a PGFE profile identical with those obtained from three patients. The exposure to Legionella pneumophila apparently occurred in a large area, since 43 of the 55 cases lived, visited or worked within a distance of 1,800 m from plant A, and six cases in a distance between 2,500 and 3,400 m. The inspections of cooling towers in plant A revealed inadequate disinfectant doses of biocide, non-existent maintenance records on weekends and wrong sample points for routine microbial check-ups. Weather conditions in October 2005 template temperature and high humidity (wind conditions are unappreciable) could have been favourable factors in this outbreak together with the flat terrain of Gurb and Vic area, explaining the extensive horizontal airborne dissemination of contaminated aerosols. The outbreak could have been prevented by proper and correct maintenance of the cooling tower at plant A.

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Resource Description

    Air Pollution
    • Air Pollution: Other Air Pollution, Specify
      • Other Air Pollution, Specify: Aerosolized bacteria
      Air Pollution (other)
    General Geographic Feature
    Non-United States
    • Non-United States: Europe
    Infectious Disease, Respiratory Impact
    • Infectious Disease, Respiratory Impact: Airborne Disease
      • Airborne Disease: Other Airborne Disease, Specify
        • Other Airborne Disease, Specify: Legionnaire's Disease
        Airborne Disease (other)
      Airborne Disease
    • Infectious Disease, Respiratory Impact: Bronchitis/Pneumonia, Other Respiratory Impact, Specify
      • Bronchitis/Pneumonia, Other Respiratory Impact, Specify: Legionnaires' Disease
      Respiratory Condition (other)
    Research Article
    Vulnerable Population
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