Legionnaires' Disease News and Research

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

DNA test method can help quickly prevent Legionnaires' outbreak

A DNA test method called polymerase chain reaction allowed New York City health officials to identify the source of a Legionnaires' disease outbreak within hours of specimen collection and should be considered in all Legionnaires' outbreak investigations, researchers say in the April issue of the Journal of Environmental Health.

10 Apr 2018

New method shows how microbial communities may assemble inside plumbing systems

Bacteria in tap water can multiply when a faucet isn't used for a few days, such as when a house is vacant over a week's vacation, a new study from University of Illinois engineers found.

30 Mar 2018

Foil-based measuring chip rapidly detects Legionella

In an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, finding the exact source as quickly as possible is essential to preventing further infections. To date, a standard analysis takes days. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich have now developed a rapid test that achieves the same result in about 35 minutes.

23 Mar 2018

Artificial sweetener sucralose worsens gut inflammation in mice with Crohn's disease

In a study that has implications for humans with inflammatory diseases, researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and colleagues have found that, given over a six-week period, the artificial sweetener sucralose, known by the brand name Splenda, worsens gut inflammation in mice with Crohn's-like disease, but had no substantive effect on those without the condition.

15 Mar 2018

CSU researchers find cause of Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Flint

An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in 2014-15 in Flint, Michigan, was likely caused by a change in the city's drinking water supply, according to a study led by Colorado State University researchers.

6 Feb 2018

Biologists resolve immune protein structure to provide insight into pathogen-defense strategies

Biologists have resolved the structure of a ring of proteins used by the immune system to summon support when under attack, providing new insight into potential strategies for protection from pathogens.

17 Nov 2017

Waterborne disease outbreaks can be traced to plumbing systems in buildings

Traditional water treatment efforts have focused on water leaving the treatment plant, but a large number of recent waterborne disease outbreaks in the U.S. can be traced to plumbing systems in buildings.

9 Nov 2017

New water safety program streamlines processes to help healthcare providers reduce Legionella risk

Nalco Water, an Ecolab company, has introduced a comprehensive water safety program to help hospitals and long-term care facilities meet new requirements to reduce Legionella risk.

9 Aug 2017

NYITCOM expert urges people to take caution of Legionnaires' disease during summer

For many, the months of July and August are a time for relaxation by the pool and vacation with the family, but this June, after several people in New York City were diagnosed with Legionnaire's disease in less than two weeks, an expert at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine urges people to take caution.

21 Jun 2017

Case of Legionnaires’ disease in the city sparks alerts

A New York Police Department officer has contracted Legionnaires’ disease leading to a spate of investigations by the health officials as to its source and potential capacity for spread. The officer however is at present on their way to recovery at a hospital located outside the city said health officials. Legionnaire’s disease is a form of pneumonia that can become life threatening.

11 Jun 2017

Dutch scientists discover favorable conditions for growth of Legionella bacteria

The bacteria that cause Legionnaire's disease grow well in warm tap water installations with ample dissolved organic matter--conditions that support the growth of biofilms. The research is published January 6th in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

6 Jan 2017

Single enzyme doing the work of a trio could offer precise way to treat diseases

Researchers identified a single enzyme doing the work of a trio thought necessary to control a common cellular signaling process being pursued as a therapeutic target.

24 May 2016

MIT researchers devise new system to genetically engineer viruses to combat harmful bacteria

In the hunt for new ways to kill harmful bacteria, scientists have turned to a natural predator: viruses that infect bacteria. By tweaking the genomes of these viruses, known as bacteriophages, researchers hope to customize them to target any type of pathogenic bacteria.

23 Sep 2015

Legal-Bay reports that death toll from Legionnaires' disease outbreak in South Bronx rises to 7

Legal-Bay LLC, The Lawsuit Settlement Funding Company, reports that in the tragic Legionnaires' disease outbreak sweeping the South Bronx, 81 cases have been reported as of now, with a total of 7 people dead as a result. According to NYC health officials, 81 cases have been reported in total, with 64 of those requiring hospitalization, and the death roll has recently risen to 7.

10 Aug 2015

Second-generation antibiotic shows promise against common bacterial infections

Researchers led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have developed a second-generation antibiotic that shows early effectiveness against common bacterial infections that pose a serious health threat to children and adults.

21 May 2015

Automated PoCyton cytometer effective for counting cancer cells

Biological and medical scientists have been using flow cytometry to count cancer cells for the past 40 years. But the large instruments are expensive and can only be operated by trained personnel. By contrast the PoCyton cytometer developed by Fraunhofer researchers is cheap to produce, no bigger than a shoebox, and automated.

6 May 2015

Challenges involved in tracing the source of Legionnaires’ disease outbreak

Genetic research helps to explain why tracing the source of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that claimed four lives has proven to be more complicated than scientists hoped.

10 Apr 2015

Study: Inactivating polymorphism may influence progression of ovarian and luminal breast cancer

A common polymorphism - a variation in a person's DNA sequence that is found with regularity in the general population - can lead to a chain of events that dictates how a tumor will progress in certain types of cancer, including a form of breast cancer as well as ovarian cancer, according to new research from The Wistar Institute that was published online by the journal Cancer Cell.

19 Dec 2014

Virginia Tech professor wins Paul L. Busch Award for outstanding work in water quality research

Amy Pruden, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, is the 2014 recipient of the Paul L. Busch Award, including a $100,000 research grant.

1 Oct 2014

Findings reveal new way to identify non-antibiotic drugs that could help curb bacterial infections

About 100 drugs already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for other purposes can also prevent the growth of certain bacterial pathogens inside human cells, including those that cause Legionnaires' disease, brucellosis, and Mediterranean spotted fever.

29 Jul 2014