Legionella is a genus of pathogenic gram-negative bacteria that includes the species L. pneumophila, causing legionellosis including a pneumonia-type illness called Legionnaires' disease and a mild flu-like illness called Pontiac fever.
A cooling tower is a device that rejects waste heat to the atmosphere through the cooling of a coolant stream, usually a water stream to a lower temperature. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and cool the working fluid to near the wet-bulb air temperature or, in the case of dry cooling towers, rely solely on air to cool the working fluid to near the dry-bulb air temperature using radiators.
Legionella anisa is a Gram-negative bacterium, one of more than 40 species in the family Legionellaceae. After Legionella pneumophila, this species has been isolated most frequently from water samples. This species is also one of the several pathogenic forms of Legionella having been associated with rare clinical cases of illness including Pontiac fever and Legionnaires' disease.
Legionella oakridgensis is a Gram-negative bacterium from the genus Legionella which was isolated from industrial cooling tower waters. It is pathogenic.
Legionella adelaidensis is a Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, aerobic bacterium from the genus Legionella which was isolated from cooling tower water in Adelaide in South Australia.
Legionella brunensis is a Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, aerobic bacterium from the genus Legionella, which was isolated from cooling tower water in Czechoslovakia.
Legionella erythra is a Gram-negative bacterium from the genus Legionella which was isolated from cooling-tower water in Seattle.
Legionella fairfieldensis is a Gram-negative bacterium from the genus Legionella with a single polar flagellum, which was isolated from cooling tower water in Fairfield, Victoria.
Legionella jordanis is a Gram-negative bacterium from the genus Legionella which was isolated from the Jordan River in Bloomington, Indiana and from the sewage in DeKalb County, Georgia. L. jordanis is a rare human pathogen and can cause respiratory tract infections.
Legionella massiliensis is a Gram-negative bacterium from the genus Legionella which was isolated from water from a cooling tower in Bouches du Rhone in France.
Legionella moravica is a Gram-negative bacterium from the genus Legionella which was isolated from cooling-tower water samples in Czechoslovakia.
Legionella parisiensis is a Gram-negative bacterium from the genus Legionella which was isolated from cooling tower water in Paris.
Legionella quinlivanii is a Gram-negative bacterium from the genus Legionella which was isolated from a cooling tower pond in London in United Kingdom.
Legionella rubrilucens is a Gram-negative bacterium from the genus Legionella which was isolated from tap water in Los Angeles, hot spring water in Niigata in Japan, and a patient who suffered from pneumonia.
Legionella shakespearei is a Gram-negative, weakly oxidase-positive, catalase-positive bacterium with a single polar flagellum from the genus Legionella which was isolated from a cooling tower in Stratford-upon-Avon in England. L. shakespearei is named after William Shakespeare because it was isolated in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Legionella worsleiensis is a bacterium from the genus Legionella which was isolated from industrial cooling tower in Worsley in England.
Legionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by any species of Legionella bacteria, quite often Legionella pneumophila. Signs and symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle pains, and headaches. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur. This often begins 2–10 days after exposure.
In 2015, there were two outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in the Bronx, New York City, United States. Between January and August 2015, one hundred and thirty people in New York City were infected with Legionnaires', but the majority of them were in the Bronx.
Legionella clemsonensis was isolated in 2006, but was described in 2016 by Clemson University researchers. It is a Gram-negative bacterium.
