BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Officials at the Boston VA system think they now know how one of their patients contracted Legionnaire's disease in September.
Water was tested at each of the VA's locations in West Roxbury, Brockton, and Jamaica Plain. While the tests came back negative for the Legionella bacteria in Brockton and Jamaica Plain, three positive results showed up at the West Roxbury location in a sink, an ice machine, and a cooling tower.
Boston VA epidemiologist Katherine Linsenmeyer believes the patient contracted legionnaires from the cooling tower.
"Upon receipt of the positive culture we mitigated the cooling tower immediately. There was chemical mitigation performed with the addition of chlorine. and the source thus far has been eliminated and the incubation period has passed," Linsenmeyer said. "We don't anticipate any more cases."
Linsenmeyer believes the patient in question was infected partly due to a compromised immune system.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports