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Legionela, legionella or legionellosis is a lung infection caused by bacteria of the Legionellaceae family, especially Legionella pneumophila, which is characterized by pneumonia with high fever.

They are the most common symptoms: fever, strong cough, diarrhea, muscle pain or shortness of breath.

The elevation of white blood cells, as well as low sodium levels are key to reach a diagnosis legionella.

The bacteria that cause this disease have their natural habitat in stagnant waters, and generally proliferate in warm and humid environments. The biggest source of contagion for people is the water and air conditioning systems of large buildings such as offices, hospitals, hotels, shopping centers, spas … Bacteria are inhaled when breathing and infection begins.

It has never been proven that there is a risk of infection from one person to another.

At a particular level, no measures can be taken to prevent infection.

The bacteria will progress to the bronchi and lungs, thus initiating a pulmonary inflammatory response that activates the entire immune system to finally settle in an area of ​​the lung where pneumonia is going to be generated.

Among the individual risk factors to suffer legionella include:

• Smoke.
• Alcoholism.
• Have some type of chronic pulmonary or respiratory system (COPD, asthma).
• Advanced age.
• Having weakened the immune system because of some disease such as cancer or AIDS, or having undergone a transplant.
• Take drugs that inhibit the immune system (chemotherapy, corticosteroids).
• Renal insufficiency in advanced stage or diabetes mellitus.
• Men are more likely than women to get the infection.

The environmental factors that determine the acquisition of legionellosis are:

• Exposure to aerosols or showers of health centers or large buildings such as hotels.
• The infection of sanitary material such as nasogastric tubes, hospital respirator equipment, infected sanitary material that is used to wash patients or their wounds.
• Infection of cooling sources, air conditioners, saunas, ornamental fountains, sprinkler irrigation, etcetera.

The main measures that must be taken to prevent Legionella infection are:

• Avoid water stagnation, with an adequate design of the facilities.
• Eliminate or reduce dirt, following a maintenance program.
• Prevent the proliferation and survival of the bacteria in the installation, by means of a continuous disinfection of the same and the control of the temperature.

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