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Short answer How Legionnaires disease is treated Common questions Related questions SourcesLegionnaires’ disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by breathing in tiny water droplets that contain Legionella bacteria.
The bacteria grow in building water systems, so common sources include hot tubs, cooling towers, large or complex plumbing, decorative fountains, and humidifiers. Symptoms look like other pneumonias: cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath, muscle aches, and headache, sometimes with diarrhea, nausea, or confusion. They usually begin 2 to 14 days after exposure, so it helps to tell your clinician about recent travel, hotel stays, hot tub use, or hospital care. A urine test or a sputum culture confirms it, and antibiotics work best when started early. A milder form of the same infection, called Pontiac fever, causes fever and aches without pneumonia and clears on its own.
How Legionnaires disease is treated
Common questions
what is legionnaires’ disease
Legionnaires’ disease is a lung infection caused by Legionella bacteria, which grow in building water systems such as hot tubs, cooling towers, large plumbing systems, decorative fountains, and humidifiers. You get it by breathing in contaminated water mist or droplets, not from other people. Symptoms usually start 2 to 14 days after exposure and include cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches, and headache. It is treated with antibiotics, and many people need hospital care. Risk is higher if you are 50 or older, smoke or used to smoke, or have chronic lung disease or a weakened immune system. Call a clinician promptly if you have pneumonia symptoms.