I suspect this go on in England a lot more but given the useless GPs
we seem to have in abundance these days it probably remnains
undiagnosed. So if you're going to catch anything do it in Oz or
Scotland.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-18206191


Gardeners told 'wash off compost'By Eleanor Bradford

BBC Scotland Health Correspondent

Gardening is a healthy hobby but there are risks, says Dr Donaghy
Gardeners are being warned to wash their hands after using compost
following a series of Legionella cases in Scotland over the past five
years.

One man has died and five others have become ill after contracting a
rare strain called 'Legionella longbeachae', which appears to come
from compost.

The unusual strain is well known in Australia and New Zealand, where
bags of compost carry warning labels.

But these are the first cases linked to compost to be confirmed in the
UK.

As many gardeners head out to their gardens and allotments to enjoy
the warm weather, experts are warning them to wash their hands after
using compost, particularly before eating or smoking.

Take steps

"Gardening is a very healthy hobby but like anything in life there's a
few risks," said Dr Martin Donaghy, medical director of Health
Protection Scotland.

"Over the past five years we've had three confirmed cases of
Legionella longbeachae, plus two 'probable' and one 'possible' so we
do need to take steps to reduce the risk even further."

Doctors all over the UK are being urged to be alert for a link with
gardening if they see patients with unusual pneumonia.

Symptoms of Legionella longbeachae include headaches, diarrhoea or a
dry cough followed by pneumonia.

Most people recover after treatment with antibiotics and Dr Donaghy
said other cases may have gone unreported.

"One of the features of this phenomenon is that we've only seen it in
Scotland," he said.

"We're working closely with colleagues in England to find out the
reasons for that.

The exceptional rarity of these cases would seem to indicate that any
associated risks are exceedingly minimal”

"Are our services better at picking it up, or is it something to do
with the nature of compost up here?

"We've got no evidence it's anything to do with the compost so we
think it's more to do with being better at picking it up."

Like all forms of Legionnaire's disease, longbeachae is transmitted
via very small droplets of water in the air.

All those who have contracted the illness so far were very keen
gardeners, using different brands of compost.

Specialists are now investigating whether recent changes to compost
formulas might be to blame as manufacturers move away from traditional
peat-based growing media.

Global analysis

Health Protection Scotland is in discussions with the Scottish
government on whether Australian-style warning labels should be
recommended to manufacturers.

A spokesman for the Growing Media Association said: "Since 1990, of
the 12 reported cases of Legionella potentially connected to the
longbeachae microbe in Great Britain, only three are thought to be
related to gardening.

"In the same period, the UK public has used well over a billion bags
of compost.

"The exceptional rarity of these cases would seem to indicate that any
associated risks are exceedingly minimal."

The spokesman added: "Nevertheless, the growing media industry is
committed to acting in a responsible manner on this important issue
and is therefore conducting a detailed global analysis of the
situation.

"For the moment, appropriate precautionary/hygiene measures are
unclear, an observation supported by Health Protection Scotland."

A spokesperson for the Association of Organics Recycling added that
compost is routinely heated to at least 60C for 48 hours as part of
the manufacturing process, which is considerably hotter than the
preferred temperature for Legionella bacteria.