Jacob Bogatin:About air conditioners and legionnaires disease

International team of scientists consisting of American, French and Israeli experts including Jacob Bogatin deciphered the DNA of one of the most mysterious and malevolent bacteria that inhabit our planet - Legionella.

To be precise, the decoded genome of only one of Legionella - Legionella pneumophila, which brought and still brings a lot of trouble and the doctors and ordinary people, but the significance of this event has not diminished. This bacterium causes severe pneumonia in humans (still known as Legionnaires disease, legionellosis).
Legionella are widely distributed throughout the world, is part of the natural flora of many reservoirs, both natural and artificial.

According to Jacob Bogatin the detection of nasty parasite in air conditioning systems, has caused a shock as the inhabitants of the numerous offices, and the manufacturers of air conditioners. And so the message that the legionella found in ordinary warm tap water and bathrooms with Jacuzzi in the salons SPA, caused a lot speculations and much ado.

What does the Legion mean?
The first association with the word "legionnaire" - Ancient Rome, the legions of Julius Caesar. Second - France, Foreign Legion. Neither the first nor the second with Legionnaires disease has nothing to do.

Name associated with the American Legion ( The American Legion ), an organization founded in 1919 and unites Americans - members of various wars. It is the Congress of this public organization in 1976, held in Philadelphia, and the outbreak of strange infections. Within a month the disease claimed the lives of 34 out of 220 cases of delegates and was immediately given the name "Legionnaires disease".

How do you get infected?
As Jacob Bogatin writes for a person to become infected, it needs to breathe in the agent located in a water spray: shower, the flow of air from the air conditioner, variegated fountains and fountains.

Despite the fact that Legionella can be found in the sputum of cases, cases of transmission from person to person is not registered. But when you consider that virtually every modern office is equipped with air-conditioning system, the magnitude of the threat began to look very impressive.
Jacob Bogatin is sure that the incubation period of legionellosis on average 5-7 days. Described a number of clinical forms of infections: a proper disease legionnaire, pontiakskaya fever, "Fort Bragg". There could be other forms of the disease.