Although not classed as food microbiology this waterborne bacteria is often associated with food factories and cooling towers.
One man has died and 15 people are in a critical condition in hospital following an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.
A further 15 suspected cases are being investigated in Edinburgh, NHS Lothian said.
The health board said the patient who died was in his 50s and had underlying health conditions. He was being treated at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Thirteen men and two women aged between 33 and 74 are in a critical condition with the disease and are being treated in intensive care in hospitals in the Lothian area. One man has recovered and has been discharged.
A further 10 men and five women are also being treated in hospitals but their illness has not yet been confirmed.
The majority of the confirmed cases are linked geographically to the Dalry, Gorgie and Saughton areas in the south-west of the Scottish capital.
The bacteria can end up in artificial water supply systems, including air conditioning systems, water services and cooling towers.
Legionnaires’ disease is contracted by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water.
Symptoms include mild headaches, muscle pain, fever, a persistent cough and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea, and can begin any time between two and 14 days after exposure to the bacteria. The first case was identified on Thursday May 28.
About half of those who contract the disease will also experience changes to their mental state, such as confusion.
The condition is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from person to person.
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