Legionnaires' Disease News and Research

RSS

Legionnaires’ disease is a microbial infection of the lungs that can be potentially life threatening. It is caused by the legionella bacteria.

NYU Langone performs the world's first HIV-positive-to-HIV-positive lung transplant

The world's first HIV-positive-to-HIV-positive lung transplant was performed at NYU Langone Health.

19 Jun 2026

New Legionella testing selective agar plates launched by AnalytiChem

AnalytiChem, manufacturer of specialized laboratory equipment, reagents and consumables, has launched a new addition to its high-quality Redipor® microbiological prepared media portfolio.

From AnalytiChem 24 Mar 2026

Disinfectant used in water treatment may impact the incidence of Legionnaire's disease

Preliminary results of a nationwide study suggest that the disinfectant used to treat water before it is distributed through pipes may impact the incidence of Legionnaire's disease in certain parts of the country.

9 Dec 2025

New Swiss study probes lingering fatigue after Legionnaires' disease

Researchers in Switzerland launched the LongLEGIO study to compare the long-term health impacts of Legionnaires’ disease and other bacterial pneumonias. Baseline data reveal key differences in comorbidities and quality of life between the groups, with follow-up underway.

4 Aug 2025

Swimming in lakes may increase risk of Legionella infection

Swimming in some lakes with still water can lead to infection with Legionella, bacteria that can cause pneumonia, and people who engage in open water swimming should be aware of this risk, say the authors of a practice article published in CMAJ.

18 Feb 2025

Weather, geographic location appear to influence hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases

An analysis of 12 years of data collected from over 500 hospitals in 25 different U.S. states shows that weather, geographic location, and urban or rural location all appear to influence hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases, according to a new study by researchers at Columbia University in the open-access journal PLOS Water.

14 Aug 2024

Using whole genome sequencing to identify non-culturable Legionella

Legionnaires' disease (LD), a rare and severe type of pneumonia, is a respiratory infection caused by species of Legionella bacteria.

21 Mar 2024

OHSU study sheds light on ubiquitin modification during bacterial infection

New research from Oregon Health & Science University could one day lead to therapies that prevent or treat diseases and infections tied to a protein that's found in all human cells.

12 Dec 2023

Water distribution cabinets with floor heating pose Legionnaires' disease risk

Researchers at the Norwegian science institute SINTEF have been testing different types of water distribution cabinets.

30 Oct 2023

Microbiome composition influences severity of Legionnaires' disease

Pneumonia is an infection of the lung alveoli caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi. It is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, representing a clinical and economic burden and a global public health problem.

13 Sep 2023

New collaboration to investigate forms of RNA modification

Universität Mainz Institute of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences of Mainz University to collaborate with Monash University and ETH Zurich to investigate forms of RNA modification.

27 Jul 2023

UW Medicine identifies a case of Legionella pneumonia

A patient treated in September at UW Medical Center-Montlake was diagnosed with Legionella pneumonia presumed to be a healthcare-associated infection.

7 Oct 2022

Sporadic Legionnaires’ disease in commercial truck drivers could be attributed to vehicle windshield wiper fluid

A new study examines two cases of Legionnaires’ disease diagnosed via urine antigen test that were reported and linked to windshield wiper fluid contaminated with Legionella spp.

10 Mar 2022

Key protein helps bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease to set up house in host cells

Scientists at UT Southwestern have discovered a key protein that helps the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease to set up house in the cells of humans and other hosts.

10 May 2021

Cannabidiol kills bacteria responsible for gonorrhea, meningitis, and legionnaires disease

Synthetic cannabidiol, better known as CBD, has been shown for the first time to kill the bacteria responsible for gonorrhea, meningitis and legionnaires disease.

20 Jan 2021

Annual Legionella Conference to address major health crisis

A virtual special session of the annual Legionella Conference co-hosted by NSF Health Sciences and the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) will focus on disease prevention from waterborne pathogens during a public health crisis.

10 Dec 2020

Pitt researchers receive $330,000 to examine the effect of silver-coated fixtures on water disinfection

As workplaces prepare to reopen, precautionary measures like plexiglass barriers and sanitizer stations have been put in place to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

7 Jul 2020

NYU researchers capture 3D data on human interactions with COVID-19 infection sources

New York University researchers are in the field capturing highly detailed three-dimensional data on human movements and behaviors -- particularly around medical facilities, public transportation systems, and essential services -- to document the complex landscape of "surface vectors" and thus opportunities for COVID-19 transmission.

1 Apr 2020

Legionella Conference 2020 focuses on prevention of health care-associated waterborne diseases

Discussions at Legionella Conference 2020: Prevention of Disease and Injury From Waterborne Pathogens in Health Care will focus on hazards related to medical devices, cleaning and disinfection in sterile settings and water quality requirements in hospitals and health care facilities.

14 Feb 2020

Record number of Legionnaires’ cases in 2018 risk lives, cause cleanup headaches

Cases of Legionnaires' disease reached a record high in 2018 — a more than eight-fold increase since the numbers began to climb nearly two decades ago.

5 Nov 2019