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Bacteria that causes deadly Legionnaires’ disease discovered at LA Medical Examiner’s Office, employee tests positive
The bacteria, Legionella, was detected in a cooling system at the office near downtown Los Angeles.
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The airborne bacteria that causes deadly Legionnaires’ disease was discovered at the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. An employee has tested positive for the disease.
NBC 4 reported that the bacteria, Legionella, was detected in a cooling system at the office near downtown Los Angeles. The identity of the worker who tested positive has not been revealed. The person’s condition also remains unknown.
Officials have yet to publicly establish whether the employee’s infection was connected to the contaminated system.
“The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health was notified of one Los Angeles County employee who tested positive for Legionnaire’s Disease,” a department spokesperson told NBC.
The discovery was made in May 2026. At the time, the bacteria was found during maintenance work. Officials said that employees in the affected buildings were notified later in the year. The county has not reported any other infections involving people with shared exposure to the employee.
“To date, no additional cases have been identified with shared common exposures to this individual,” officials said.
County health officials have described the bacteria as “commonly found in building plumbing systems, especially in older buildings.” County officials stressed that healthcare providers must report “symptomatic cases.” They have also asked public health authorities to monitor high risk settings.
What is Legionnaires’ disease?
Legionnaires’ disease is a serious form of pneumonia. It is caused by the Legionella bacteria, and individuals can get infected by breathing in contaminated water droplets or mist, which can originate in cooling equipment and building plumbing systems.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Symptoms include high fever, cough, diarrhea and confusion. You can get Legionnaires’ disease from water or cooling systems in large buildings, like hospitals or hotels. Legionnaires’ disease can be life-threatening.”
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“Legionnaire’s disease is uncommon. Around 10,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with it every year,” it adds.
The CDC says about reporting cases, “If someone is diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease, the healthcare provider or lab that did the testing will report the case to the local or state health department. People can also report their case by contacting the health department of the state where they believe they were exposed. The health department will determine if an investigation is needed.
