MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Legionnaires' disease organism, legionella

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Legionnaires' disease organism, legionella

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.)

Update Date: 5/3/2006

Updated by: Michael C. Milone, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA.

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