--- title: Legionellosis description: legionellosis image: https://www.ambimed-group.com/hubfs/282.jpg --- - [Prevention](https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/tag/prevention) # Legionellosis ![](https://www.ambimed-group.com/hubfs/282.jpg) - September 8, 2025 ![Francesco Spinazzola](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e) [ Francesco Spinazzola ](https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/author/francesco-spinazzola) ![282](https://www.ambimed-group.com/hs-fs/hubfs/282.jpg?width=499&height=337&name=282.jpg) In recent years, general interest has been directed towardcovid. The same interest in fact has seemed to wane in regard to other diseases. **Could this underestimation of the most commonly prevalent diseases be dangerous? Quite possibly, yes. ** Take for example one of the **potentially lethal respiratory diseases** that are in circulation: **legionellosis** caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila. These microorganisms precisely are Gram-negative, intracellular pathogenic bacteria, whose serotype 1 is the most commonly reported cause of infections in humans Worldwide. Legionella infections can present in most cases as a mild, self-limiting flu-like illness called Pontiac fever. In some cases, especially in the presence of risk factors, such as advanced age, smoking, and conditions of immunodepression of various kinds, they can be a major cause of community-acquired and nosocomial pneumonia: **legionnaires' disease**. Symptoms typically occur 2 to 10 days after exposure to the pathogen and can take a varied and worsening clinical course. **Acute respiratory failure is typical**, characterized by very low blood oxygen pressure values and lung localizations of various types, infiltrates, thickening, interstitiopathy, pleural effusions. Sufferings of other organs and apparatuses may be associated in a septic-type picture. Classic is cerebral involvement brought about by a toxin, rather than true organ localization. If treated in time with the right antibiotics, macrolides, quinolones, rifampin, etc., it generally tends to resolve. Prevention lies in**avoiding exposure to humid and hot places** **where such bacteria can proliferate**, such as air conditioning systems where filters have not been periodically serviced and cleaned; showers in which water is not circulated at temperatures above 50-60 degrees**(temperature optimum for Legionella colony development is in fact 40 degrees or so**); soils site of recent earthworks where water turn-over and stagnation occur; abandoned and reoccupied rooms or entire buildings with toilets partially out of use; cooling towers of industrial plants. The cue for this simple disquisition comes to me from the **very recent notification of a post-lockdown case admitted to a Roman hospital** referred to in the following link Source: [Eurosurveillance Legionella pneumonia](https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.30.2001372). I myself recall in my career having taken a successful interest in my younger years in the diagnostic recognition and treatment of **an epidemic outbreak that occurred among artists**, painters and sculptors staying **at the Danish Institute of Culture in Rome's Villa Borghese**. ### Dalla nostra redazione Mettiamo a vostra disposizione una selezione accurata, approfondita e aggiornata di materiali divulgativi realizzati da un team di specialisti della salute, pensati per ampliare la cultura della prevenzione e del benessere in viaggio, in trasferta, a lavoro, tutti i giorni. [![](https://www.ambimed-group.com/hubfs/531.jpg) ](https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/il-percorso-degli-alimenti-le-conserve-domestiche) ### [ The path of food to our table - Home preserves ](https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/il-percorso-degli-alimenti-le-conserve-domestiche) June 9, 2025 Home canned foods. These are the foods at highest risk for botulism, a serious food poisoning due to the toxin produced... [![](https://www.ambimed-group.com/hubfs/525.jpg) ](https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/il-percorso-degli-alimenti-fino-alla-nostra-tavola-carne-e-pesce) [Prevention](https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/tag/prevention) ### [ The path of foods to our table - Meat and fish ](https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/il-percorso-degli-alimenti-fino-alla-nostra-tavola-carne-e-pesce) September 1, 2025 After delving into general tips for avoiding food contamination and foodborne diseases, let's explore what specific... [![](https://www.ambimed-group.com/hubfs/311.jpg) ](https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/lidrossiclorochina-non-è-efficace-nel-trattamento-di-covid-19) [Covid-19](https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/tag/covid-19) ### [ Hydroxychloroquine is not effective in the treatment of Covid-19 ](https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/lidrossiclorochina-non-è-efficace-nel-trattamento-di-covid-19) September 15, 2025 A National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of hydroxychloroquine for the... Leggi tutte le notizie Subscribe for ### Our Blog Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Francesco Spinazzola", "url" : "https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/author/francesco-spinazzola" }, "dateModified" : "2025-09-08T07:18:42.519Z", "datePublished" : "2025-09-08T07:18:42.000Z", "headline" : "Legionellosis", "image" : [ "https://www.ambimed-group.com/hubfs/282.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.ambimed-group.com/en/ambimed-per-i-privati/legionellosi", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.ambimed-group.com/hubfs/Risorsa%202Logo%20Ambimed.svg" }, "name" : "Ambimed" } } ```