Legionella Sampling Just Got a Whole Lot Sexier

Social Media at Work - Isolating the Source. It seems the infamous grotto at the Playboy mansion may be even more sordid than you would have imagined. Over the weekend the Centers for Disease Control released a report detailing their investigation into a February outbreak that infected more than 120 guests of the legendary party locale. They determined that the culprit was none other than the Legionella bacterium – a waterborne pathogen commonly found in spas, showers, and humidifiers which can cause Legionnaire’s Disease or Pontiac Fever. We’ve previously discussed how our polycarbonate membrane filters are used by the CDC to detect samples of the legionella bacterium. In addition to traditional detection methods, the CDC also turned to social media in this case to track down those afflicted and to uncover the source of the problem. Through the use Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and online polling the CDC was able to identify that there was an outbreak and deduce that it likely originated from a single source. Further investigation narrowed down the exact source to a particular spa inside the grotto (pictured above). You do have to wonder if the social media investigation was more effective just because people wanted to brag about having gone to the Playboy mansion. Had this occurred in a local YMCA hot tub I’m not so sure as many people would have put it on their Facebook… You can view the presentation about the details of the investigation here.