Death from Legionella bacteria in a Japanese hot tub

Legionnaires' disease can prove to be fatal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported Legionnaires' disease is caused by a type of bacteria called Legionella. The name for this bacteria materialized in 1976, when many people who went to a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion suffered from an outbreak of this disease, which is a type of pneumonia.

Although it has been reported that this type of bacteria was around before 1976, more illness from Legionnaires' disease is being detected now. This is because physicians are now looking for this disease whenever a patient has pneumonia. In the U.S. alone every year between 8,000 and 18,000 people are hospitalized with Legionnaires' disease. However, it is felt that many infections with Legionnaires are not diagnosed or reported, so this number may be much higher. .

Legionnaires' disease can be very serious and causes death in up to 5% to 30% of cases. The majority of cases can be treated successfully with antibiotics. The Legionella bacteria are found naturally in the environment, generally in water. The Legionella bacteria grows best in warm water, like the water found in hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems, or parts of the air-conditioning systems of large buildings. They do not appear to grow in car or window air-conditioners.

People are infected with Legionnaires' disease when they breath in a mist or vapor that has been contaminated with the bacteria. An example might be from breathing in the steam from a whirlpool spa that has not been properly cleaned and disinfected. A report in the Japanese press about a man having died after being infected with Legionella bacteria in the bath of a hot spa inn is troubling not just for the citizens of Japan, but also for Americans who often frequent hot tubs of this nature in the United States and who sometimes visit Japan for educational pursuits, business and tourism.

The Mainichi Daily News has reported "Man dies from Legionella bacteria in bath at Gunma hot spa inn." It was determined that the Japanese man who died had been infected with Legionella in the bath of the inn in Minakami in Gumma Prefecture after confirming that a bacteria gene type found in the man matched that from the bath water. After staying at the inn on October 18, the man from Katano, Osaka Prefecture, came down with symptoms such as a high fever and coughing. He was thereafter diagnosed with pneumonia caused by Legionella, and died on November 6.