Another man in my place would not have known how to extricate himself, but here I have got out of it and am as jolly as ever again, and all because I am 'a cultivated and educated man of our day. View in context
The bacterium Legionella pneumophila is responsible for most cases of Legionnaires' disease. Outdoors, legionella bacteria survive in soil and water, but rarely cause infections.
Legionnaires' disease is a serious lung disease (pneumonia) with chills, high temperature (fever) and muscle pains. You get the infection by breathing in droplets of water which contain legionella germs (bacteria) from contaminated water systems.here are two types of illness which can develop after being infected with this bacterium: 1  Legionnaires' disease. 2  This causes a lung infection (pneumonia). 3  It is usually a severe illness which is sometimes fatal. 4  Pontiac fever. 5  This occurs when the bacteria cause a flu-like illness.