2002 Barrow-in-Furness legionellosis outbreak 2002 Barrow-in-Furness legionellosis outbreak The 2002 Barrow-in-Furness Legionnaires' disease outbreak was a fatal outbreak of Legionellosis which occurred in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. It was and still remains among the worst such outbreaks in history. The first fatality occurred on 2 August 2002. The source of the bacteria was later found to be from steam coming out of a badly maintained air conditioning unit. The system was located in the council-run arts centre Forum 28, with the vent emitting the disease over a busy alleyway in the town centre. Ultimately seven people died and 172 cases were reported (a case fatality
Legionella cherrii were cultured around 36 °C in an environment containing 2.5% carbon dioxide. The genus "Legionella" is named after the 1976 pneumonia ("Legionella pneumophila") outbreak at the American Legion convention at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. The genus was previously unknown, but it was established three years later. The specific term "cherrii" is derived from the scientist William B. Cherry due to his contributions on the studies of Legionellae. "L. cherrii" is rod-shaped and considered an oxidase-negative bacterium since it lacks cytochrome c oxidase and does not use oxygen in its electron transport chain. "L. cherrii" also has the ability to