Outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease Linked to a Decorative Fountain by Molecular Epidemiology

The incubation period of Legionnaires' disease in five patients was traced to attendance at conventions in a hotel in the Orlando, Florida, area between January 6 and February 2, 1992. The five case patients (mean age, 69 years) were older than 55 randomly chosen controls (mean age, 53 years) who had also attended one of the same conventions (p=0.007). All case patients were males, as were 40% of the controls (p=0.01). No significant differences in exposures were found between case patients and controls, but all case patients and 65% of the controls reported exposure to a decorative fountain in the hotel lobby. Water from the fountain was the only one of 55 environmental specimens to test positive for Legionella