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Due to the lack of conclusions, the U.S. Congress opened a public
hearing to assess the situation and the CDC becomes even more pressed
for answers.
In December 1976, after confirming 29 deaths and more than 300
people hospitalized, the case is still unexplained and takes on more fear and
awe among those who were in Philadelphia in July of that year.
In the CDC lab, as one of the chief researchers reviews the samples
collected in August (where it was thought to be the air conditioner) he
notices something different anddedicates his studies to a bacteriumdifferent
from everything he had researched.
And so, he proves that indeed the cause of Legionnaires’ disease could
be a bacterium. He returns to analyze samples collected from locations
during the investigations at the Hotel and compares with samples from
patients and confirms that in all cases it was the same. He discovers the
cause of Legionnaires’ Disease, a bacterium.
Legionella
bacteria was identified as a tribute to the legionaries.
The question becomes where does it live as how does it travel to the
lungs of people and who are the people that may be contaminated with
Legionella
.
The samples collected at the Hotel included not only air and surface,
but water and food as they were also the possible cause.
After further studies, researchers make a discovery that would change
scientific thinking.
Legionella
lives in water, discarding the food and air
samples.
Legionella
lives in water; therefore it is a bacterium in the environment
