Can bacteria make you smarter and happier?

There have been cases of gardeners dying from contact with contaminated store-bought compost containing Legionellis.

Legionnaires’ Disease
Also called: Legionellosis

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria. You usually get it by breathing in mist from water that contains the bacteria. The mist may come from hot tubs, showers, or air-conditioning units for large buildings. The bacteria don’t spread from person to person.

Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease include high fever, chills, a cough, and sometimes muscle aches and headaches. Other types of pneumonia have similar symptoms. You will probably need a chest x-ray to diagnose the pneumonia. Lab tests can detect the specific bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease.

Most people exposed to the bacteria do not become sick. You are more likely to get sick if you

Are older than 50
Smoke
Have a chronic lung disease
Have a weak immune system
Legionnaires’ disease is serious and can be life-threatening. However, most people recover with antibiotic treatment.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/legionnairesdisease.html

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The bacterium Legionella pneumophila is responsible for most cases of Legionnaires’ disease. Outdoors, legionella bacteria survive in soil and water, but rarely cause infections. Indoors, though, legionella bacteria can multiply in all kinds of water systems — hot tubs, air conditioners and mist sprayers in grocery store produce departments.

Although it’s possible to contract Legionnaires’ disease from home plumbing systems, most outbreaks have occurred in large buildings, perhaps because complex systems allow the bacteria to grow and spread more easily.

How the infection spreads

Most people become infected when they inhale microscopic water droplets containing legionella bacteria. This might be the spray from a shower, faucet or whirlpool, or water dispersed through the ventilation system in a large building. Outbreaks have been linked to a range of sources, including:

Hot tubs and whirlpools on cruise ships
Cooling towers in air conditioning systems
Decorative fountains
Swimming pools
Physical therapy equipment
Water systems in hotels, hospitals and nursing homes
Although legionella bacteria primarily spread through aerosolized water droplets, the infection can be transmitted in other ways, including:

Aspiration. This occurs when liquids accidentally enter your lungs, usually because you cough or choke while drinking. If you aspirate water containing legionella bacteria, you may develop Legionnaires’ disease.
Soil. A few people have contracted Legionnaires’ disease after working in the garden or using contaminated potting soil.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/legionnaires-disease/basics/causes/con-20028867

[url=http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/legionnaires-disease/basics/causes/con-20028867]legionnaires’ disease[/url]