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. 1986 Dec;97(3):393–403. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400063580

Outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Glasgow Royal Infirmary: microbiological aspects.

M C Timbury, J R Donaldson, A C McCartney, R J Fallon, J D Sleigh, D Lyon, G V Orange, D R Baird, J Winter, T S Wilson
PMCID: PMC2082894  PMID: 3540109

Abstract

The bacteriological investigation of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Glasgow Royal Infirmary affecting 16 patients is described. Most of the patients had been treated in high-dependency areas on two floors of the hospital supplied by the same two air-conditioned ventilation systems. The source of infection was traced to contamination of a cooling tower from which a plume of spray discharged into the intake vents of the two ventilation systems. Rubber grommets within the cooling tower probably provided a nidus of infection there. The control and management of the outbreak are discussed: a policy of frankness about the course and progress of the investigations was adopted and helped to allay anxiety on the part of both staff and media.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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