Compost risk revealed
Friday September 3rd, 2010
Potting compost may carry a serious hazard for gardeners - Legionnaire's disease, a British doctor revealed today.
A 67-year-old gardener contracted the disease after a cut on his hand was infected while handling compost, according to a report in The Lancet.
The incident in Scotland has led the Royal Horticultural Society to issue warnings to gardeners.
The man fell ill in March and ended up in intensive care in the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley.
He was found to be suffering from a rare form of the disease, Legionella longbeachae, which cannot be detected in urine samples.
The hospital's Dr Simon Patten says it has been assumed the compost carried the bug.
Dr Patten reports: "In cases of community-acquired pneumonia such as this, continued treatment with such antibiotics may be prudent until all possible types of legionella have been excluded from the diagnosis, particularly in those associated with exposure to gardening compost."
Tags: Fitness | General Health | UK News
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