Legionella bacteria in patient room at Shands Cancer Hospital, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

[LaMenchos]

Hospital takes precautions after bacteria detected
By KIM FAENZA
Published: December 10th, 2009
Representatives from the University of Florida College of Medicine and Shands HealthCare confirmed on Tuesday (Dec. 8) the presence of the Legionella bacteria, which can cause pneumonia or lung infections, in a patient room at the Shands Cancer Hospital at UF.
Testing was initiated when a patient tested positive with the bacteria. It is commonly found in water and was discovered in two sinks in a patient room.
?We have notified the medical teams to screen their patients according to clinical protocols. As of this time we have not identified any other cases,? said Dr. Timothy Flynn, interim senior associate dean for clinical affairs at UF.
Additional water samples have been taken to determine the source of the bacteria, but results are not yet available. As a precaution, hospital officials have already begun treating the water system with heat and chlorination. Officials expect the treatment process, which follows Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, to be completed by early Thursday evening. Shands is working with NALCO, an environmental firm, to treat the water system and will continue monitoring water samples.
Shands at UF north campus is on a separate system and is not affected.
?Patient care is our top priority, and we are committed to providing our patients with a safe environment. We responded as soon as we discovered the situation and we are taking all necessary precautions,? said Timothy Goldfarb, Shands HealthCare chief executive officer.
According to the CDC, the Legionella bacteria are found naturally in the environment. The bacteria grow best in warm water, like the kind found in hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems or parts of the air-conditioning systems of large buildings.
As many as 18,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized with Legionella infections each year, according to the CDC. People can be infected when they breathe in a mist or vapor that has been contaminated with the bacteria. The bacteria are not spread from one person to another person.
People most at risk of getting sick from the bacteria are usually 65 years of age or older as well as those who smoke or have a chronic lung disease. People who have weak immune systems from diseases like cancer, diabetes, or kidney failure are also more likely to get sick from Legionella bacteria. People who take drugs to suppress the immune system, like after a transplant operation or chemotherapy, are also at higher risk.
Hospital officials have asked patients, visitors and staff to note the following:
?Do not drink the water or use the ice machines until the treatment is completed.
?Bottled water will be available for patients, families, staff and visitors.
?Showers should not be used due to temperature variations until further notice.Nurses will assist patients in using alternative methods of bathing.
?It is safe to wash your hands with cold water and to flush the toilets.
For more information on Legionella bacteria, go to www.Legionella.org or www.cdc.gov.
Tagged as: Legionella bacteria, Timothy Flynn, Timothy Goldfarb, UF Shands Cancer Center. ? 2009 University of Florida
http://news.medinfo.ufl.edu/article...al-takes-precautions-after-bacteria-detected/

 

[alert]

Re: Legionella bacteria in patient room at Shands Cancer Hospital, University of Florida, Gainesville, FLL

Re: Legionella bacteria in patient room at Shands Cancer Hospital, University of Florida, Gainesville, FLL

Another Legionella outbreak in Florida. Not sure if they are related or not.

Update: This is not close geographically at all. Likely two unrelated clusters of Legionella.

http://www.sphere.com/nation/article/miami-luxury-hotel-guest-dies-of-legionnaires-disease/19277746

Nation
Hotel Guest Dies of Legionnaire's Disease Updated: 1 hour 9 minutes ago
.Print Text Size E-mail MoreSphere Staff


Sphere (Dec. 14) -- A European tourist died and two other guests of a luxury hotel in Miami have become ill with Legionnaire's disease in the past three months, reported the Miami Herald.

Health officials think the water at the Epic Hotel is the problem, and they issued an advisory to the hotel's guests on Friday, the paper said. About 300 people had to be relocated to avoid contracting the disease, which is a serious form of pneumonia.

The man who died had been staying at Epic before leaving for a cruise in September, and the report of his death just surfaced. A second person became ill in November, and a third came down with the illness this month, the Herald reported.

"The hotel is examining and doing everything it needs to do to fix this matter. The hotel is working as closely as possible with health department,'' said Bruce Rubin, a hotel spokesman.

 

[sharon sanders]

Re: Legionella bacteria in patient room at Shands Cancer Hospital, University of Florida, Gainesville, FLL

Re: Legionella bacteria in patient room at Shands Cancer Hospital, University of Florida, Gainesville, FLL

Welcome La Menchos!

 

[alert]

Re: Legionella bacteria in patient room at Shands Cancer Hospital, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

This is about the outbreak in the hotel - perhaps the moderators should separate the threads.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/1379545.html?storylink=mirelated

Tourist killed by hotel water
After a hotel's powerful filter removed all the chlorine from city water, bacteria grew -- killing one and making two others ill.
Similar stories:?One dead, two sick after stays at downtown Hotel
One dead, two sick after stays at downtown HotelA foreign visitor has died and at least two other people have become sick after staying at a downtown Miami luxury hotel, and health officials are blaming an unusual type of pneumonia called Legionnaire's Disease.
Guests at the Epic Hotel have been relocated to nearby hotels to prevent further contact with the water, according to the Miami-Dade County Health Department.
Doctors say there is no cause for widespread alarm because only three cases of the bacteria have surfaced in the last two months.

?300 hotel guests relocated after bacteria kills 1
300 hotel guests relocated after bacteria kills 1About 300 guests have been relocated from a luxury Miami hotel after one guest died and at least two others became sick from a bacteria in the water.
Health officials say the guests at the Epic Hotel were sent to nearby hotels Sunday to prevent further contact with Legionnaire's disease. People can become infected by breathing in mist or vapor contaminated with the bacteria. It cannot spread from person to person, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An investigation revealed that the hotel had installed a water filter powerful enough to remove chlorine from its city-supplied water, which encouraged bacterial growth.

?Legionnaires' disease sickens 3 in Miami; 1 dies
Legionnaires' disease sickens 3 in Miami; 1 diesGuests at a downtown Miami luxury hotel have been relocated after health officials determined three international visitors contracted Legionnaires' disease there. One died.
The Miami-Dade County Health Department's senior physician said Sunday that three cases of Legionnaires have been diagnosed at the Epic Hotel since October. Dr. Vincent Conte said water samples taken this week showed chlorine levels below the threshold needed to curb bacterial growth.
Officials issued a health advisory to the hotel's guests Friday. Conte said more than 400 guests would be relocated to nearby hotels by Saturday.

?An unusual prescription for healthcare
An unusual prescription for healthcareIn looking at healthcare reform, Congress and the Obama administration are missing a key remedy that could help keep Americans healthy, prevent disease and hold down costs. We urgently need to reduce the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause new and hard-to-treat diseases, and we can start with food animal production.
For years, the federal government has warned doctors and other healthcare providers to administer antibiotics to only those patients with bacteria-related illnesses. Yet regulations still allow large-scale livestock feeding operations -- industrial farms -- to use antibiotics in ways never recommended for humans. In fact, the Union of Concerned Scientists estimates that up to 70 percent of all antibiotics sold in this country are given to food animals, most of it not to treat or prevent disease but to make the animals gain weight faster and to compensate for the crowded conditions often found in such enormous facilities.
This so-called ``non-therapeutic use

?Davie man dies from swine flu
Davie man dies from swine fluA Davie man with a chronic heart problem has died of swine flu, becoming the first in Broward County and the third in Florida to succumb to the newly emerged H1N1 virus, medical officials said Tuesday.
Michael Waldfogel, 58, had gone to his doctor in mid-June complaining of typical flu symptoms and was sent home with flu medicine as is the normal procedure in such cases, said Dr. Joshua Perper, Broward's medical examiner.
Waldfogel was last seen on June 20 and was found dead in his home four days later, Perper said.
BY JOSE PAGLIERY
jpagliery@MiamiHerald.com
A foreign visitor has died and at least two other people have become sick after staying at a downtown Miami luxury hotel, and health officials are blaming an unusual type of pneumonia called Legionnaire's Disease.

Guests at the Epic Hotel have been relocated upon request to nearby hotels to prevent further contact with the Legionella bacteria in the water, according to the Miami-Dade County Health Department.

An investigation this week by county and state officials revealed that the hotel had installed a water filter powerful enough to remove chlorine from its city-supplied water, a move that encouraged bacterial growth.

``What's ironic is the hotel installed a special filtration system to enhance the quality of their drinking water,'' said Dr. Vincent Conte, the county's top epidemiologist.

Studies show this type of bacteria is not easily transmitted through simple person-to-person contact because water droplets must enter a person's lungs. Instead, the culprit is typically a building ventilation system or water supply.

The disease kills an estimated 5 to 30 percent of those it infects, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In an unrelated case, the bacteria last week caused the death of a Gainesville-area man, 56-year-old Ryan Sigman, who contracted the disease from the water supply at Shands Cancer Hospital.

In Miami, Conte said there is no cause for widespread alarm because only three cases of the bacteria at the hotel have surfaced in the last two months. That's a tiny fraction of thousands who have come in contact with the hotel's water.

The first patient was a European man who visited the hotel in late September before embarking on a cruise -- only to be rushed back to a local hospital, where he died, according to local health officials. That incident was not previously reported.

A second European man contracted Legionnaire's disease while at the hotel in late November. But county officials said inefficient international communication channels prevented them from discovering that case until this month, when a European woman who visited the hotel was diagnosed with the disease.

Investigators determined the hotel was the source of the disease because it was the only variable all three tourists had in common.

``The hotel is examining and doing everything it needs to do to fix this matter. The hotel is working as closely as possible with health department,'' said Bruce Rubin, a hotel spokesman.

Conte said the hotel will adjust its water system so that incoming city water bypasses its special filter. Health officials then plan to temporarily triple the amount of chlorine normally used to stave off bacterial growth.

 

[LaMenchos]

Re: Legionella bacteria in patient room at Shands Cancer Hospital, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

Although a few days old, I post the following three items about the Legionella Shands-UF-Gainesville case for completeness sake. I minimally edited them to remove redundancy, clarify content or spell out acronyms.

One Shands patient died from Legionnaire's - No other patients at the cancer hospital are at risk of being exposed, say hospital officials.
By Nathan Crabbe
Staff writer
Published: Friday, December 11, 2009 at 6:01 a.m.

A Shands Cancer Hospital patient died from Legionnaire's disease after being exposed to the bacteria that cause the illness in his hospital room, officials confirmed Thursday.

Ryan Sigman, 56, of Archer died Saturday, but hospital officials said they didn't initially disclose his death because of privacy law and concern for his family. They said Thursday that they had completed cleaning the hospital's water system and believe no other patients risk being exposed to Legionella bacteria at the facility.

"We are very confident that this is a safe place for cancer patients and our other patients," said Dr. David Guzick, UF's senior vice president for health affairs and president of the Shands system.

Officials announced Wednesday [Dec. 9] that a patient had tested positive for the bacteria and it was found in water samples from two sinks in the patient's room. They said they did not disclose the death at that time out of respect for the patient's family, which had not authorized for his name to be released and was holding his memorial service Thursday.

"There was no intent to deceive," said Dr. Timothy Flynn, the University of Florida's interim senior associate dean for clinical affairs and chief medical officer for the hospital.

Flynn, who didn't identify the patient by name in discussing the case, said the death was caused because of an infection with the bacteria and an already compromised immune system. A member of Sigman's family reached at his Archer home Thursday declined comment.

Officials said initial tests done of the hospital's 140-some patients showed no positive tests for the bacteria. The hospital also did more advanced tests of patients and tested water samples taken throughout the hospital, results of which are expected in four days.

...

The cancer hospital, which opened Nov. 1, is served by a nearby Gainesville Regional Utilities facility that provides all its energy needs. But its water system is similar to typical buildings and no more likely than any other to spread bacteria, said Brad Pollitt, vice president of facilities at Shands.

"There's nothing inherent about the design of the system that would lead to something like this," he said.

GRU [Gainesville Regional Utilities] conducted initial testing that indicated the contamination didn't come from the outside. Testing found normal chlorine levels in water samples from the two water meters that provide potable water to the hospital and from three surrounding test sites. Chlorine levels would be below normal if bacteria were present in the water, according to GRU.

The utility is conducting further tests with a Pennsylvania-based lab to check specifically for the Legionella bacteria. Results are expected within 10 days.

Shands officials said they had previously treated Legionnaire's disease cases at their facilities, but none had been exposed to the bacteria in the hospitals. They said 37 patients at the cancer hospital had tested negative since the facility opened until the current case was discovered.

Flynn emphasized that the bacteria is not spread by person-to-person contact.

"This is not a disease that's going to spread through the community like flu or measles," said Flynn.

An estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people contract Legionnaires' disease annually - and 5 percent to 15 percent of these cases prove to be fatal.

Legionnaires is particularly prevalent to hospital settings, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, CDC figures show that from 1980 to 1998, hospital-acquired cases of Legionnaires accounted for 25 percent to 45 percent of the cases.

All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/...ls-say-Shands-patient-died-from-Legionnaire-s

 

[LaMenchos]

Re: Legionella bacteria in patient room at Shands Cancer Hospital, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

UF hospital will treat water after bacteria detected
By Diane Chun
Staff writer
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 6:01 a.m.

University of Florida College of Medicine and Shands officials have moved to treat the water system at the new Shands Cancer Hospital after Legionella bacteria was found in a patient room Tuesday.

The bacteria, associated with a type of pneumonia called Legionnaire's disease, is commonly found in warm water.

When one patient tested positive for the bacteria, water samples were taken from the two sinks in the patient's room and more Legionella was discovered.

"At this time, we have not identified any other cases," said Dr. Timothy Flynn, UF interim senior associate dean for clinical affairs.

Shands CEO Tim Goldfarb said steps already have been taken to determine the source of the bacteria and treat the hospital's water system.

The cancer hospital is served by an on-site GRU facility that provides 100 percent of the hospital's energy needs. Cited for its energy efficiency, the GRU facility captures hot exhaust from its turbine, converting it to steam that is then used to run the hospital's heating and cooling system.

"The system was thoroughly tested before the opening of the hospital," Flynn said. "Our engineers are looking at the system, and we will continue to monitor the water sources for a period of time. We are very early into the process of looking into this."

Shands UF, across Archer Road from the cancer hospital, is on a separate water system and is not affected.

Additional water samples are being tested, Flynn said, but rather than wait on the results, the hospital's water is being heated and chlorinated at high levels. The treatment should be complete this afternoon or evening.

In the meantime, patients and their families are asked not to drink the hospital water due to the high chlorine levels, not to use the ice machines, not to shower due to the high water temperature and to continue to wash their hands thoroughly with cold water.

Bottled water will be available and high-risk patients are being screened for Legionella.

About 140 patients are hospitalized at the Shands Cancer Hospital. Not all are cancer patients. No further information was provided Wednesday on the patient who tested positive for Legionella.

Each year in the United States, between 8,000 and 18,000 people are hospitalized with Legionnaire's disease. Symptoms usually appear between two and 12 days after exposure. It is not spread by personal contact, or by drinking contaminated water.

It is most often contracted by breathing in the bacteria in water vapor.

Those most at risk from the bacteria are those over the age of 65, smokers, or those with a chronic lung disease. Those with a weakened immune system, due to cancer, diabetes or kidney failure, also are more likely to be sickened by Legionella.

Most cases can be treated with antibiotics, but 5 to 30 percent of the cases prove fatal.

Legionella bacteria grow best in warm water, like the kind found in hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, or parts of air-conditioning systems in large buildings.

Goldfarb said hospital administrators did not want to alarm the community, but at the same time, wanted to make certain that no other patients were involved.

"What we have is hardly an outbreak, let alone an epidemic," Flynn said.

"We want to be transparent with patients and their families, make sure there are no other patients involved, but not cause unnecessary alarm," Goldfarb said.

All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.

http://www.gainesville.com/article/...-water-after-bacteria-detected&tc=autorefresh

 

[LaMenchos]

Re: Legionella bacteria in patient room at Shands Cancer Hospital, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL

UPDATE: Shands completes water system cleanup
By Nathan Crabbe

December 10th, 2009 04:42pm

A Shands Cancer Hospital patient died from Legionnaire’s disease after being exposed in his hospital room to the bacteria that cause the disease, officials confirmed Thursday.
The 56-year-old Alachua County man died Saturday, but officials said they didn’t initially disclose his death because of privacy law and concern for his family. They said Thursday that they had completed cleaning the hospital’s water system and believe no other patients risk being exposed to the bacteria at the facility.
“We are very confident that this is a safe place for cancer patients and our other patients, including those that are immunocompromised,” said Dr. David Guzick, UF’s senior vice president for health affairs and president of the Shands system.
The bacteria was found in water samples from two sinks in the patient’s room. Officials said initial testes done of the hospital’s 140-some patients showed no positive tests for the bacteria. The hospital is now awaiting results from more advanced tests of patients and tests of water samples taken throughout the hospital.
The cancer hospital, which opened Nov. 1, has all its energy needs served by nearby Gainesville Regional Utilities facility. Its water system is no more likely than any other to spread bacteria, said Brad Pollitt, vice president of facilities at Shands.
“There’s nothing inherent about the design of the system that would lead to something like this,” he said.
Legionella bacteria are found naturally in the environment, usually in water. The bacteria grow best in warm water, like the kind found in hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems or parts of the air-conditioning systems of large buildings, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials emphasized there are no documented cases of the bacteria being spread by person-to-person contact.
“This is not a disease that’s going to spread through the community like flu or measles,” said Dr. Timothy Flynn, the University of Florida’s interim senior associate dean for clinical affairs and chief medical officer for the hospital.
An Alachua County public health official confirmed Thursday that a Shands Cancer Hospital patient died after contracting the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s disease.
The 56-year-old Alachua County man died Saturday, according to Paul Myers, assistant county health director. He said the patient had underlying health conditions and contracting the Legionella bacteria was believed to be a contributing factor in his death.
Shands officials announced Wednesday that a patient had tested positive for the bacteria, but at that time did not release information on the patient or reveal his death. Water samples were taken from the two sinks in the patient’s room and more of the bacteria was discovered.
The hospital subsequently heated and chlorinated the water in its system to address the problem. Patients were told not to shower due to the high water temperature and given bottled water for drinking. Other hospital patients were tested and as of yesterday no additional cases had been found.
This is an update of the previous blog post. The full story can be found here:
http://www.gainesville.com/article/...ls-say-Shands-patient-died-from-Legionnaire-s


Legionella Case Update Excerpt from Dec. 15, 2009
Complete update by Kim Rose at: http://news.health.ufl.edu/news/story.aspx?ID=5452

• No further signs of Legionella bacteria at Shands Cancer Hospital at the University of Florida found in additional testing of water and patient samples.
• Seventy patients were tested for Legionella and none showed any signs of infection, a good indication that widespread disease is not present.

• The culture sites were chosen based on epidemiological data and the analysis of the strategic points of the water system to help identify the source of the bacteria. Water samples were taken for testing before the hospital's water system underwent heat and chlorination treatment. Final pre-treatment results are not yet available but are expected on or around Thursday, Dec. 17.

• Water samples also were taken on Friday, Dec. 11 after the water system was treated. Final post-treatment results are expected on or around Monday, Dec. 21.

• Officials continue to emphasize that safe healthcare is the top priority at the hospital.