1976 Philadelphia Legionnaires' disease outbreak 1976 Philadelphia Legionnaires' disease outbreak The 1976 Legionnaires disease outbreak, occurring in the late summer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the first occasion in which a cluster of a particular type of pneumonia cases were determined to be caused by the "Legionella pneumophila" bacteria. Previous outbreaks were retroactively diagnosed as being most probably caused by Legionella bacteria. On July 21, 1976, the American Legion opened its annual three-day convention at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. More than 2,000 Legionnaires, mostly men, attended the convention. The date and city were chosen to coincide with America’s celebration of the 200th anniversary of
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