$Unique_ID{BRK00987}
$Pretitle{Respiratory System}
$Title{Is Legionnaires Disease Related to a First World War Lung Disease?}
$Subject{Legionnaire's pneumonia infection}
$Volume{H-5}
$Log{}

Copyright (c) 1991   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Is Legionnaires Disease Related to a First World War Lung Disease?


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUESTION:  Does Legionnaires disease, named in honor of American's war
veterans, have anything to do with the terrible lung disease suffered by the
troops who served in France during the first world war?  My father used to
tell us about those conditions, and died from the long term complications of
the pneumonia he caught there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ANSWER:  It seems we have a little confusion here, and the mixing of two
stories.  Legionnaires Disease is a relatively newly discovered disease that
first attacked 182 members of the American Legion that were meeting in a
Philadelphia hotel during this nation's Bicentennial celebration in 1976.  A
new form of acute respiratory disease was seen in these people, some of whom
developed pneumonia.  Despite the use of antibiotics and other medications, 29
of these patients eventually died.  The cause of the disease was unknown at
that time, and it took almost six months of medical detective work by members
of the Centers for Disease Control and the Pennsylvania State Department of
Health before the bacteria was discovered.  It was found lurking in the
cooling tower of the hotel's air conditioning system.  The bacteria was given
the name "Legionella pneumophilia", the first name after the American Legion,
first victims of the infections, and "pneumophilia" because the bacteria seems
to "like lungs".  The bacteria seems to prefer living in water, and is more
resistant to chlorine and elevated water temperatures than other bacterias.
It has been found everywhere, and may be transmitted from contaminated
plumbing lines, showers, condensers and cooling towers, as well as improperly
cleaned humidifiers, respiratory therapy devices and whirlpools.  It can be
prevented by increasing the chlorination of water conditioning systems and
elevating the temperature of water heating and storage facilities.  It is
treated with the antibiotic erythromycin.  I am at a loss to identify your
father's disease from the information contained in your letter.  It may be
that his lung disease and the stories could be the result of poison gas
attacks which occurred during World War I, taking toll in lives, and
complications of the respiratory and nervous systems.
ÿ
----------------

The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
