Legionella is widespread in Stockton Prisons

Water tests have revealed the presence of Legionella in a state prison in Stockton, showing that the bacterium found in a prisoner who died last month is more widespread than previously known, according to an e-mail from California's Corrections and Rehabilitation Department sent to staff on Tuesday.

The inmate, whom the ministry failed to identify, died in the first week of March after being transported to an outside hospital from the California Health Care Center. The ministry said on March 26 that a second detainee had tested positive for the bacteria, which could lead to some form of serious or life-threatening pneumonia called legionnaires' disease.

The prison took precautions in some areas after the outbreak, including installing shower filters in one unit and supplying bottled water. A youth correctional facility nearby also took precautions.

A CDCR official sent an e-mail to staff on Tuesday, saying preliminary tests had shown that the bacteria had been detected "throughout the facility", affecting all construction sites and a state training center. .

No one should use water in the facility that is not bottled or brought in from outside, and no one should use a shower without special filters, says the email.

People can contract the disease when they inhale the bacteria in the water vapor; not when they drink it. According to the Federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, legionellosis is the most damaging for the elderly and for those with compromised immune systems.

The prison adds showerhead filters to other units, according to the e-mail. CDCR officials did not immediately respond to a request for additional information.

According to a March 26 press release, the prison initially tested the bacteria in 17 inmates, including two positive tests and 14 negative and one pending test. Tuesday's e-mail indicated that 28 suspected cases had resulted in two positive tests for Legionella and 26 negative results.

According to the email, the bacteria was not detected in Stockton's water reserves nor in storage tanks or cooling towers. The e-mail advises staff to remain alert to the flu-like symptoms of inmates and asks medical staff to take sputum samples from inmates with symptoms.