Legionella Risk With Gardening

People who are fond of gardening are at a risk of getting infected with one of the rarest forms of bacteria which could prove to be fatal, the UK Royal Horticultural Society has warned. According to the advice issued by RHS, gardeners stand a risk of being infected with Legionella longbeachae with more than 10 percent of such cases ending in fatalities. The latest advice comes on the back of a 67-year-old man getting infected with the bacteria.

Though he was treated successfully at the Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, the doctors were puzzled over how he had picked up the infection since just nine cases have been reported since 1984.

Simon Patten, who treated the man, submitted his report to The Lancet in which he reveals that the man admitted cutting his fingers when handling compost two days before the onset of the symptoms.

He went on to add that the RHS will now be issuing cautionary messages on compost bags. “The UK Royal Horticultural Society has issued warnings about the risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease from handling compost and has announced that bags of potting compost will carry cautionary statements”, he said.




Source-Medindia