Campus janitor contracts Legionnaire's disease
PITTSBURGH – Underscoring the need for proper maintenance of HVAC and plumbing equipment, a janitor at the University of Pittsburgh has contracted Legionnaire's disease, and two other workers have fallen sick, one with a bacterial infection.Allegheny County Health Department inspectors checked the plumbing system at Pitt's Lothrop Hall for Legionella bacteria
Luther Matthews, of Wilkinsburg, who works as a janitor in Lothrop, took ill on Jan. 9 and was diagnosed with Legionnaire's disease two days later, Ingram says.
Two other university workers have recently fallen sick, and one of them has been diagnosed with a bacterial infection.
Health department officials say that Lothrop test results should be available within 10 days.
Approximately 25 to 30 cases of Legionnaire's disease are reported in the county each year.
The disease is a form of pneumonia named after an outbreak that killed 29 members of the American Legion at a 1976 convention in a Philadelphia hotel. It can contain up to 18 bacteria and varies in severity from a mild respiratory tract illness to severe multi-system disease.
The bacteria breed mostly in warm, moist conditions found in sources such as water or air conditioning systems in large public buildings, hotels and hospitals. Infection occurs after inhaling the droplets of contaminated water from air conditioning outlets and even from showers, Brooks says.
Symptoms develop within a week of infection and include headaches, muscular and abdominal pain, diarrhea and a dry cough followed by pneumonia. Intravenous antibiotics are used to treat it.