[Jarred Santos]

The rare disease you could catch while gardening​

Ninety per cent of Australians are said to own private garden spaces in their homes, so it isn’t too much of a stretch to say most of us enjoy lending nature a helping hand through gardening.

The COVID pandemic, for all the ills it brought (virus-caused and otherwise), also helped foster a new spirit for gardening among Aussies.

At the height of the 2020 lockdowns, more than two billion plants were purchased around the country — a sign of growing fondness for gardening.

Paul Copeland is an example of a person who loves gardening.

A glance at his house would show a home with nature’s touch, with a well-tended garden in his backyard.

But one day in July, Paul came down with a fever.

There were also body aches and difficulty breathing, so like you’re probably thinking too, he thought he was infected with COVID.

‘I’d never been that sick. My skin was sore, my hair was sore,’ he said.

From there, his condition worsened to the point of near-immobility, which led him to a sobering thought.

‘To get to the point where you can’t walk and you can’t talk, it’s pretty bad.’

Paul loved tending to his garden. Credit: Pexels/Binyamin Mellish

With that in mind, Paul then went to a hospital to get checked for COVID, where a chest x-ray showed fluid building up in his lungs.

Curiously despite the tell-tale signs, COVID was ruled out in his case.

Paul says he was treated and then sent home.

The next day, his condition worsened, and he ended up being confined.

‘I was in the hospital for another four days,’ he remembered.

‘I wasn’t coughing a lot, but I just had no air, and my oxygen levels were quite low.’

Paul was puzzled at what could be the cause of his illness.

And then, a memory came forth: one weekend before, he topped up garden beds in his backyard and carried buckets of soil along the side of his house.

He immediately told his doctor about his suspicions.

‘When I mentioned the dirt and the landscaping, they (went) back and did another test, and (it) came back positive,’ he said.

It turns out that Paul had Legionnaires disease, a serious type of pneumonia caused by Legionella longbeachae.

The bacterium is found in soil and can be contracted by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water or dust.

Unfortunately, the disease has flu-like symptoms as Paul experienced

Once the diagnosis was determined, he made a full recovery after two weeks of rest and taking antibiotics.

Despite this, he says physical activity has been hard for him since his bout with the disease.

‘I’ve only just started going back to the gym,’ he said months after recovery.

‘I always had mild asthma and I've found since having Legionnaires' my asthma is a lot more severe so I'm constantly looking at my Ventolin and preventers.’

‘Hopefully there are no long-term effects.’

Legionella longbeachae and Legionella pneumophila are known to cause Legionnaires disease. Credit: Legionella Control

It also seems like his love for gardening has finally met its match.

‘I've got a free get-out-of-jail card for the rest of my life – no need to do manual labour ever again,’ he joked.

So, how do we keep ourselves safe from Legionnaires disease while gardening?

‘People should take the appropriate precautions when they are handling potting mix,’ said infectious disease expert Dr Candice Holland.

‘(Legionnaires disease) can be a very significant infection. It can make people very sick and require admission to a hospital (and lead to a prolonged stay in the intensive care ward.’

‘There's all sorts of nasties that live in the soil so regardless of your age or medical conditions, you should make sure you keep yourself safe when you're gardening.’

Key Takeaways

• Paul Copeland, an avid gardener, suddenly had a fever accompanied by body aches and difficulty breathing in July.
• He went to a hospital to get checked for COVID, but he was cleared of the disease and sent home after treatment.
• His symptoms worsened until he ended up confined for four days.
• It wasn't until he told his doctors of a gardening activity he did prior that they were able to determine he was suffering from Legionnaires disease.
• The disease is caused by a bacterium present in soil that can be contracted by inhaling airborne dust or water droplets.
• Paul made a full recovery, but reports some difficulty with physical exercises.
• Doctors recommend taking on precautions such as wearing gloves and masks while gardening and washing hands after to avoid the disease.

Dr John Gerrard, Queensland's Chief Health Officer, also recommended that people wear gloves and a face mask while gardening or handling potting mix. Washing hands after is also a must.

He also said to avoid placing the bags of soil near the face and shaking them before emptying.

‘Wet the potting mix so it doesn’t generate dust,’ Gerrard added as a final tip.

Be sure to remember these pointers, members!

If you have time, please take a look at our Gardening thread for more tips.

So, what is your reaction to Paul’s story? Are there other gardening tips you know?

Tell us in the comments section below!

Source: YouTube/Te Whatu Ora - Southern​

 

[Suzanne rose]

I thought everyone knew about Potting mix.
There is a warning message on all bags.
This has been known for years.

 

[Petra]

Apparently not just potting soil ! (I wonder sometimes how I survived to be 61)

Can you get Legionella from a shower?
Yes, you can catch Legionnaires' disease from a shower. It is unlikely that you will catch the disease in your own home if you live there full time. However, you stand a higher chance of catching the disease from a shower in a gym, hotel, hospital, or office—anywhere with a large domestic water system.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Apparently not just potting soil ! (I wonder sometimes how I survived to be 61)

Can you get Legionella from a shower?
Yes, you can catch Legionnaires' disease from a shower. It is unlikely that you will catch the disease in your own home if you live there full time. However, you stand a higher chance of catching the disease from a shower in a gym, hotel, hospital, or office—anywhere with a large domestic water system.

I used to walk through the QVB in Sydney cbd and they had a scare there with a for people catching legionnaire's through the water filters I think connected to the air conditioning, don't know how as it's so hot walking through in summer and freezing in winter

 

[Ian1]

The rare disease you could catch while gardening​

Ninety per cent of Australians are said to own private garden spaces in their homes, so it isn’t too much of a stretch to say most of us enjoy lending nature a helping hand through gardening.

The COVID pandemic, for all the ills it brought (virus-caused and otherwise), also helped foster a new spirit for gardening among Aussies.

At the height of the 2020 lockdowns, more than two billion plants were purchased around the country — a sign of growing fondness for gardening.

Paul Copeland is an example of a person who loves gardening.

A glance at his house would show a home with nature’s touch, with a well-tended garden in his backyard.

But one day in July, Paul came down with a fever.

There were also body aches and difficulty breathing, so like you’re probably thinking too, he thought he was infected with COVID.

‘I’d never been that sick. My skin was sore, my hair was sore,’ he said.

From there, his condition worsened to the point of near-immobility, which led him to a sobering thought.

‘To get to the point where you can’t walk and you can’t talk, it’s pretty bad.’

View attachment 8948

Paul loved tending to his garden. Credit: Pexels/Binyamin Mellish

With that in mind, Paul then went to a hospital to get checked for COVID, where a chest x-ray showed fluid building up in his lungs.

Curiously despite the tell-tale signs, COVID was ruled out in his case.

Paul says he was treated and then sent home.

The next day, his condition worsened, and he ended up being confined.

‘I was in the hospital for another four days,’ he remembered.

‘I wasn’t coughing a lot, but I just had no air, and my oxygen levels were quite low.’

Paul was puzzled at what could be the cause of his illness.

And then, a memory came forth: one weekend before, he topped up garden beds in his backyard and carried buckets of soil along the side of his house.

He immediately told his doctor about his suspicions.

‘When I mentioned the dirt and the landscaping, they (went) back and did another test, and (it) came back positive,’ he said.

It turns out that Paul had Legionnaires disease, a serious type of pneumonia caused by Legionella longbeachae.

The bacterium is found in soil and can be contracted by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water or dust.

Unfortunately, the disease has flu-like symptoms as Paul experienced

Once the diagnosis was determined, he made a full recovery after two weeks of rest and taking antibiotics.

Despite this, he says physical activity has been hard for him since his bout with the disease.

‘I’ve only just started going back to the gym,’ he said months after recovery.

‘I always had mild asthma and I've found since having Legionnaires' my asthma is a lot more severe so I'm constantly looking at my Ventolin and preventers.’

‘Hopefully there are no long-term effects.’

View attachment 8947

Legionella longbeachae and Legionella pneumophila are known to cause Legionnaires disease. Credit: Legionella Control

It also seems like his love for gardening has finally met its match.

‘I've got a free get-out-of-jail card for the rest of my life – no need to do manual labour ever again,’ he joked.

So, how do we keep ourselves safe from Legionnaires disease while gardening?

‘People should take the appropriate precautions when they are handling potting mix,’ said infectious disease expert Dr Candice Holland.

‘(Legionnaires disease) can be a very significant infection. It can make people very sick and require admission to a hospital (and lead to a prolonged stay in the intensive care ward.’

‘There's all sorts of nasties that live in the soil so regardless of your age or medical conditions, you should make sure you keep yourself safe when you're gardening.’

Key Takeaways

• Paul Copeland, an avid gardener, suddenly had a fever accompanied by body aches and difficulty breathing in July.
• He went to a hospital to get checked for COVID, but he was cleared of the disease and sent home after treatment.
• His symptoms worsened until he ended up confined for four days.
• It wasn't until he told his doctors of a gardening activity he did prior that they were able to determine he was suffering from Legionnaires disease.
• The disease is caused by a bacterium present in soil that can be contracted by inhaling airborne dust or water droplets.
• Paul made a full recovery, but reports some difficulty with physical exercises.
• Doctors recommend taking on precautions such as wearing gloves and masks while gardening and washing hands after to avoid the disease.

Dr John Gerrard, Queensland's Chief Health Officer, also recommended that people wear gloves and a face mask while gardening or handling potting mix. Washing hands after is also a must.

He also said to avoid placing the bags of soil near the face and shaking them before emptying.

‘Wet the potting mix so it doesn’t generate dust,’ Gerrard added as a final tip.

Be sure to remember these pointers, members!

If you have time, please take a look at our Gardening thread for more tips.

So, what is your reaction to Paul’s story? Are there other gardening tips you know?

Tell us in the comments section below!

Source: YouTube/Te Whatu Ora - Southern​

Thanks for the heads up! I’m aware now, so I’ll take the necessary precautions.

 

[Dottie P.]

My husband got tetanus in June,was in a coma 31 days, 55 on life support, 62 in all in icu, 3 months in hospital total. All from a splinter in the garden. Still getting over it.

 

[Ricci]

Right, that's another chore I can cross off my list! I can't afford to get sick so it's best I don't risk it! What a shame!! PS. I hate gardening!!

 

[RTS]

Nightcliff gardener's disease (Meliodosis) is a problem in Darwin. The quick form can kill within a couple of days.
I was more worried about crocodiles because my son went fishing.

 

[JayKay]

In 1980, I knew a chap who was a Nurseryman.
He used to pot up plants at the Nursery.
He inhaled the Legionella spores, and got Legionnaires Disease.
He was affected for the rest of his life, and died quite young.

 

[Nana Zorak]

Right, that's another chore I can cross off my list! I can't afford to get sick so it's best I don't risk it! What a shame!! PS. I hate gardening!!

Since the land at the back of the acreage I rent was resumed for a local park to cater for all the units being built in the area I have allowed the garden to become really wild with flowering weeds & many small pine trees courtesy of the pines next door, to help with the noise problem from the park. The fact is at 85 I also hate gardening, in fact, any type of work is anathema to me.

 

[Macarj]

I thought everyone knew about Potting mix.
There is a warning message on all bags.
This has been known for years.

Maybe that's why I hate gardening