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
Community-acquired pneumonia monocytogenes" and a variety of mycobacteria. CAP-causing viruses may also be transferred from mother to child; herpes simplex virus (the most common) is life-threatening, and adenoviridae, mumps and enterovirus can also cause pneumonia. Another cause of CAP in this group is "Chlamydia trachomatis", acquired at birth but not causing pneumonia until two to four weeks later; it usually presents with no fever and a characteristic, staccato cough. CAP in older infants reflects increased exposure to microorganisms, with common bacterial causes including "Streptococcus pneumoniae", "Escherichia coli", "Klebsiella pneumoniae", "Moraxella catarrhalis" and "Staphylococcus aureus". Maternally-derived syphilis is also a cause of CAP