Abstract
In 2015, Legionnaires’ disease was diagnosed in a street cleaning worker. We found Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 in the water and internal foam from the tanks of 2 trucks used by the worker during the incubation period. The internal foam was removed, and a Legionella prevention program was implemented.
Legionnaires’ disease (LD) is an acute pneumonia caused by inhalation or aspiration of aerosols contaminated with Legionella bacteria. Legionella spp. are ubiquitous in freshwater aquatic habitats. Multiplication of Legionella in artificial water systems is facilitated by temperatures around 35°C and factors such as lack of disinfection, water stagnation, and poor maintenance (1).
In Spain, 925 cases of LD were reported in 2014, of which 82% were sporadic cases, not related to outbreaks (2). LD outbreaks have been related to cooling towers, spa pools, and water distribution systems (2–4), which are considered by regulations in Spain to have a high probability of proliferation of Legionella (5).
The identification of exposure in sporadic cases provides a good opportunity to enhance understanding of reservoirs for Legionella in relatively rare sources (6,7). This case report summarizes the environmental study conducted to identify the possible source of exposure of a street cleaning worker who contracted LD.
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