Argentine health officials said on Saturday that the disease, which infected 10 people and killed three of them, could be linked to the “legendary disease”.
Legionnaires’ disease is the most severe form of pneumonia, usually caused by an infection. Caused by a bacterium known as Legionella, the bacteria can be transmitted when people inhale tiny drops of water or accidentally swallow water containing the bacteria in their lungs, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials are trying to determine the cause of the illness, which has affected 10 people associated with a private clinic in the city of San Miguel de Tucumán, officials said in statements, according to NBC News.
Health officials said the Legionella bacteria were identified in testing of four samples – three respiratory samples and a biopsy from one of the deceased people.
“The suspicion is that this is an outbreak of Legionella pneumoniae,” they added. Noting that the data is still preliminary and awaiting a final diagnosis.
