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Does using potting mix make you sick? Results from a Legionella longbeachae case-control study in South Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2006

B. A. O'CONNOR ,
J. CARMAN ,
K. ECKERT ,
G. TUCKER ,
R. GIVNEY  and
S. CAMERON
B. A. O'CONNOR
Affiliation:
Communicable Disease Control Branch, Department of Health South Australia Master of Applied Epidemiology Program, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Australia
J. CARMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Australia
K. ECKERT
Affiliation:
Division of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Australia
G. TUCKER
Affiliation:
Epidemiology Branch, Department of Health South Australia, Australia
R. GIVNEY
Affiliation:
Communicable Disease Control Branch, Department of Health South Australia
S. CAMERON
Affiliation:
Master of Applied Epidemiology Program, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Australia Department of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Australia
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Abstract

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A case-control study was performed in South Australia to determine if L. longbeachae infection was associated with recent handling of commercial potting mix and to examine possible modes of transmission. Twenty-five laboratory-confirmed cases and 75 matched controls were enrolled between April 1997 and March 1999. Information on underlying illness, smoking, gardening exposures and behaviours was obtained by telephone interviews. Recent use of potting mix was associated with illness (OR 4·74, 95% CI 1·65–13·55, P=0·004) in bivariate analysis only. Better predictors of illness in multivariate analysis included poor hand-washing practices after gardening, long-term smoking and being near dripping hanging flower pots. Awareness of a possible health risk with potting mix protected against illness. Results are consistent with inhalation and ingestion as possible modes of transmission. Exposure to aerosolized organisms and poor gardening hygiene may be important predisposing factors to L. longbeachae infection.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 135 , Issue 1 , January 2007 , pp. 34 - 39
Copyright
© 2006 Cambridge University Press