Legionnaire's disease was first described in 1976 after an outbreak
of fatal pneumonia at a Legionnaires convention. The newly
described organism which caused the disease was named Legionella
pneumophila, shown in this picture. (Image courtesy of the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.)
Review Date: 02/19/2011
Reviewed By: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of
Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington School of
Medicine; and Denis Hadjiliadis, MD, Assistant Professor of
Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care,
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Also reviewed by
David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
