SOUTH DAKOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Saturday, October 29, 2005
CONTACT: Doneen Hollingsworth, (605) 773-3361

Health Department identifies a source in Legionellosis outbreak

PIERRE, S.D. – The Department of Health announced today that an ornamental fountain in a Rapid City restaurant has been identified as a source in the Legionellosis outbreak in the city. Laboratory testing and case interview information point to the fountain as an ongoing intermittent source of infection over the course of the outbreak.

“Today for the first time, we have a sample that matches the outbreak strain we’ve been looking for,” said Doneen Hollingsworth, Secretary of Health. “Samples taken October 24 from an ornamental fountain at the Casa Del Rey restaurant on Mount Rushmore Road matched the Legionella pneumophila Benidorm strain previously isolated from human cases.”

Since the first case was reported in July, the department has collected and tested more than 270 environmental samples in an effort to pin down a source. Notification of the match came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laboratories which completed the testing to identify the strain just this afternoon.

Hollingsworth said the restaurant shut down the fountain on October 24 at the department’s direction and has voluntarily removed it. “Since the disease has an incubation period of 10 days, we encourage people who visited Casa Del Rey prior to October 25 to watch their health for two weeks from the time they were at the restaurant,” said the Secretary. “If they become ill with a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, they should see their doctor.”

The disease is not transmitted from person to person, nor is it food-borne. It is transmitted by inhaling aerosolized water contaminated by the bacteria.

The secretary also announced two additional cases of Legionellosis were reported October 27 and October 28. She said more were still possible from exposures that might have already occurred.

“As unfortunate as it was to report new cases, each one did give us more information to narrow the search and go back to earlier cases with additional questions. As a result, we determined that a majority of the 15 cases were at the restaurant before becoming ill,” said Hollingsworth. “That means we have solid epidemiological evidence and lab testing both pointing to the fountain as a source.” 

More information about Legionellosis is on the department’s web site at www.state.sd.us/doh/pubs/legion.htm.