1976 swine flu outbreak strain. On July 23, the President sends a letter urging Congress to take action on indemnification. In early August an outbreak of illness in Philadelphia is thought to be related to swine flu. It is found to be an atypical pneumonia thereafter called Legionnaires' disease. On August 6, President Ford holds a press conference urging Congress to take action on the indemnification legislation. Four days later, both Houses of Congress pass the legislation. Merrill becomes the first company to submit samples to the FDA's Bureau of Biologics for safety testing, which approves it on September 2. Merck makes the first
Legionella clemsonensis Legionella clemsonensis Legionella clemsonensis was isolated in 2006, but was discovered in 2016 by Clemson University researchers. It is a Gram-negative bacterium. “"Legionella"” is named after the American Legion convention where the first outbreak occurred, killing 34 people and sickening 221 individuals in 1976. It occurred in Philadelphia during the convention for the association of the U.S. veterans. The specific name "clemsonensis"” derives from Clemson University, where undergraduates DNA-sequenced this new strain. "Legionella" has a correlation with another genus called "Coxiella". Both cause lung infection that can eventually lead to pneumonia due to the intracellular bacteria in aerosols. Based on