The incidence of the disease increased nearly fourfold from to Signs and symptoms usually appear between 2 and 10 days after initial infection. Some patients may experience only muscle aches and a mild headache to start with, and the other signs start to appear 1 to 2 days later. When more severe symptoms appear, the fever will be high. The muscle pains often get worse, and the patient starts to have chills. The cough may be dry at first, but as the infection progresses, there will be mucus and maybe blood.
Around 1 in 3 infected patients will experience nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Those with gastrointestinal symptoms will usually have an extremely reduced appetite. Respiratory failure can occur, in which the body does not get enough oxygen from the lungs to function properly.
Septic shock can occur if the infection reaches the blood. A sudden drop in blood pressure means that insufficient blood will reach the vital organs, including the brain and the kidneys. However, at least 20 outbreaks occur each year. Outbreaks are more likely in the summer or early autumn, but they can happen at any time of year. Legionella bacteria commonly exist in water. They are found in rivers and lakes, and some other water sources, generally in low numbers.
Occasionally, they may get into artificial water supply systems, for example, through the evaporative condensers that are associated with air conditioning and industrial cooling.
They can appear wherever water is being artificially supplied or used. An infected person cannot generally pass the infection to another person, although it is possible in rare cases. The Legionella bacteria exist in rivers, lakes and other places with fresh water, but numbers are usually low because the water temperature in such places is too low for the bacteria to multiply rapidly. Temperatures between 68 and degrees Fahrenheit, or from 20 to 45 degrees Celsius, can be ideal for the bacteria to multiply rapidly and spread.
An ideal environment also provides the right food. Impurities, such as algae, sludge, rust, and lime scale are types of food for this sort of bacteria. Hotels, hospitals, and large buildings can provide the ideal environment, if they have an air-conditioning system that uses water for cooling.
Symptoms are primarily fever and muscle aches. Symptoms can begin between a few hours to 3 days after being exposed to the bacteria and usually last less than a week. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Legionella Legionnaires' Disease and Pontiac Fever. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. The bacteria don't spread from person to person.
Symptoms of Legionnaires' disease include high fever, chills, a cough, and sometimes muscle aches and headaches. Other types of pneumonia have similar symptoms.
You will probably need a chest x-ray to diagnose the pneumonia. Lab tests can detect the specific bacteria that cause Legionnaires' disease. Legionnaires' disease is serious and can be life-threatening. However, most people recover with antibiotic treatment. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.
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