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Deadly bacteria discovered at LA medical office as employee tests positive for airborne disease
Yahoo • • health
Key Points:
- Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaires' disease, was found in a cooling system at the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office, with one employee testing positive for the disease.
- The discovery occurred during maintenance work in May 2026, and employees in the affected buildings were notified later in the year.
- Officials have not confirmed whether the employee's infection was linked to the contaminated cooling system, and no additional cases with shared exposure have been reported.
- Legionnaires' disease is a serious pneumonia caused by inhaling contaminated water droplets, commonly found in building plumbing systems, especially in older buildings.
- Symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, and coughing, typically appearing 2 to 14 days after exposure, and the disease is usually treatable with antibiotics; direct person-to-person transmission is rare.
