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      A rural outbreak of Legionnaires' disease linked to visiting a retail store.

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          Abstract

          Between May 7 and June 7, 1986, 27 residents of a rural county in Maryland developed legionellosis, and two died. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was cultured from the sputum of two patients and identified in lung tissue of a third patient by direct fluorescent antibody staining. An additional 11 patients had four-fold rises in antibody titer to L. pneumophila, and 13 had single titers greater than or equal to 1:256. To determine risk factors for disease, we performed a case-control study. Twelve of 16 case-patients reported visiting store A in the two weeks before onset of illness compared with four of 28 control-patients. A serologic survey of employees showed that employees of store A were 3.63 times more likely than control employees to have titers of antibody to L. pneumophila greater than or equal to 1:256 (95% confidence intervals 0.8, 16.7). Cultures of soil specimens, samples of water from the hot water system of store A and from stagnant ponds near store A collected five weeks after the end of the outbreak were negative for Legionella species. Store A was adjacent to a site of excavation and construction during May 1986, when the community was experiencing an extended drought. This investigation suggests that exposure to excavation and construction activity may be a risk factor for legionellosis.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          Am J Public Health
          American journal of public health
          American Public Health Association
          0090-0036
          0090-0036
          Apr 1990
          : 80
          : 4
          Affiliations
          [1 ] Division of Bacterial Diseases, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333.
          Article
          10.2105/ajph.80.4.431
          1404578
          2316763
          00bcb5f4-6c32-458d-823d-d9ca8f1e0139
          History

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