Transmission of Legionnaires' Disease through Toilet Flushing

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 26; no. 7; pp. 1526 - 1528
• Main Authors: Couturier, Jeanne, Ginevra, Christophe, Nesa, Didier, Adam, Marine, Gouot, Cyril, Descours, Ghislaine, Campèse, Christine, Battipaglia, Giorgia, Brissot, Eolia, Beraud, Laetitia, Ranc, Anne-Gaëlle, Jarraud, Sophie, Barbut, Frédéric
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01-07-2020; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Aerosols; Analysis; Antigens; Archives & records; Bacteria; Chlorine; Cold; Cooling; Disease transmission; Dispatch; Fever; Fragrances (Toiletries); Genomes; Genomics; healthcare-associated infections; Hematology; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Legionnaires’ disease; Nosocomial infections; Patients; phylogeny; Plumbing fixtures; Pneumonia; pneumophilia; Ruxolitinib; Spiramycin; Toilet facilities; Transmission of Legionnaires’ Disease through Toilet Flushing; France; Legionnaires’ disease; toilet; transmission; pneumophilia; Bacteria; Legionella pneumophila; phylogeny; nosocomial infections; respiratory infections; healthcare-associated infections
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2607.190941

We describe 2 cases of healthcare-associated Legionnaires' disease in patients in France hospitalized 5 months apart in the same room. Whole-genome sequencing analyses showed that clinical isolates from the patients and isolates from the room's toilet clustered together. Toilet contamination by Legionella pneumophila could lead to a risk for exposure through flushing.