What is Legionellosis?

Very severe outbreaks may have symptoms that include swollen and tender lymph glands in the groin, throat, or under the arms, and even flu-like feelings such as fever, chills, headache, and a general run down feeling.

This disease can lead to severe pneumonia, diarrhea, encephalitis and in a worst case scenario could even cause death.

with a headache, fever, and chills. What would feel like a basic flu, would evolve into an intense soreness.

People can recover from Legionnaires’, but 5% - 30% die. The most likely people to die by the disease are the elderlies and people with underlying medical problems. The disease is not spread by person to person, but through the air.

It is not an airborne bacterium nor can it be transmitted from person to person. The elderly and any individual that has pre-existing respiratory conditions, chronic lung disease, smoke have asthma, or are fifty years of age or older are at a higher risk of death if diagnosed with this disease. The bacteria or bacterium, Legionella enters and is transmitted through the lungs from either inhalation of aerosolized contaminated soil and/or water or by aspirating contaminated water. Legionnaires’ disease can lead to life-threatening complications such as; respiratory failure, septic shock, acute kidney failure and even

years after onset of symptoms…and typically die from bronchitis or pneumonia” (Cummings and Cole 2).

“Fever, chills, weakness, abdominal pain, shock, and bleeding underneath the skin or other organs. Buboes, however, do not develop.” – MedicineNet.com

Early onset symptoms such as rash, vomiting, muscle pain, headache, and fever can occur (CDC)

The more spores that are inhaled the more severe the infection symptoms are. If the Spherules are diagnosed in the beginning stage of infection then the infected may have a higher chance of survival for those that have inhaled a large amount. 60% of people infected with Valley Fever will only have symptoms of a slight mild “cold” and most will not seek or need medical attention (Davis, 2014) If the Spherules arrive at the lungs and are able to grow and reproduce and break open multiple amounts of time the infected may show signs of the flu or pneumonia. These symptoms can include cough, fever, headache, chills, sweats, chest pain or discomfort, and exhaustion. (kerncountyvalleyfever, 2015) Other symptoms in this phase can include joint discomfort and stiffness, and possible rash outbreak. These symptoms can last from two to six weeks after infected. Only about 30-35% of people show this advance of symptoms. (Davis, 2014) The other 1-5% are unfortunate that the Spherules spores were able to break away from just attacking the lungs and were able to spread to other parts of the body. With this stage of infection the symptoms are much more severe and can be life threating. Most of the severe cases are caused because the infected does not seek medical attention to receive anti fungal medication that stops the spread and assist the immune system in the control. Symptoms of this are coughing of blood, lesion on the

Lastly, this excruciating plague had some painful symptoms alike the inability to keep food down, excruciating fever, and last but definitely not the least, the unbearable pain. With these comes a list of other symptoms. Chills, fever, general ill feeling, headache, muscle pain, ad seizures. Other symptoms include, cough, difficulty breathing, fever, frothy, bloody spectrum, pain in chest when you breathe deeply, blood clotting, diarrhea, vomiting. In addition, there are many

If the infection spreads to your kidneys, symptoms may include, shaking or night sweats, fatigue and a general ill feeling, fever above 101 degrees Fahrenheit, pain in flanks, back, or groin area, flushed appearance in skin, heightened temperature, mental changes or confusion (in the elderly), nausea, vomiting, and severe abdominal pain.

People can also be infected by this destructive disease. Their symptoms are things like a fever, headache, and loss of appetite. These people also have a terrible itching and burning at the

a bacterial infection has occurred(Carson-DeWitt). Fever and discomfort can be helped by taking acetaminophen (Carson-DeWitt). A cool mist vaporizer may help with the cough (Carson-DeWitt). Fever leads to dehydration, therefore patients must be given lots of fluids and liquids to stay hydrated(Carson-DeWitt).

There are more serious symptoms of having mumps, but although these are more severe they are also a lot less common.

M. pneumoniae is generally referred to as primary atypical or walking pneumonia because the symptoms are not as sever as pneumonia. The symptoms include a dry hacking cough, fever, and headache. The symptoms will last for about 2 to 3 weeks. M. pneumoniae affects people worldwide. Typically only 33 % of people who have M. pneumoniae will get atypical pneumonia. The majority, 77 %, will come down with an upper tract infection (tracheaobronchitis). (Pulmonary Disorders pg 609) M. pneumoniae is transmitted through aerosol droplets. The bacterium is capable of infecting anyone at any time but it has a pattern of coming in the fall and winter and causing an outbreak every 4 to 8 years, although more tight communities occur more frequently. The pathogen rarely occurs on children less than 4 years of age. Since the bacterium lacks a cell wall, B-lactums are futile against them. The body’s immune system is responsible for killing the pathogen. There were 2 million cases in the US with 100,000 requiring hospitalization. The mortality rate is very low with only occasional fatalities among the elderly and sickle cell anemia persons. ( ).