{{short description|Respiratory disease caused by Legionella bacteria}} {{Infobox medical condition (new) | name = Pontiac fever | synonyms = | image = | caption = | pronounce = | field = | symptoms = | complications = | onset = | duration = | types = | causes = | risks = | diagnosis = | differential = | prevention = | treatment = | medication = | prognosis = | frequency = | deaths = }} '''Pontiac fever''' is an acute, nonfatal respiratory disease caused by various species of Gram-negative bacteria in the genus ''Legionella''. It causes a mild upper respiratory infection that resembles acute influenza. Pontiac fever resolves spontaneously and often goes undiagnosed. Both Pontiac fever and the more severe Legionnaires' disease may be caused by the same bacterium, but Pontiac fever does not include pneumonia.<ref name=hpa>{{cite web|url=http://www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/PontiacFever/GeneralInformation/ |title=General Information- Pontiac Fever |publisher=HPA |access-date=2013-04-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Castor |first1=Mei Lin |last2=Wagstrom |first2=Elizabeth A. |last3=Danila |first3=Richard N. |last4=Smith |first4=Kirk E. |last5=Naimi |first5=Timothy S. |last6=Besser |first6=John M. |last7=Peacock |first7=Keith A. |last8=Juni |first8=Billie A. |last9=Hunt |first9=John M. |last10=Bartkus |first10=Joanne M. |last11=Kirkhorn |first11=Steven R. |last12=Lynfield |first12=Ruth |title=An Outbreak of Pontiac Fever with Respiratory Distress among Workers Performing High-Pressure Cleaning at a Sugar-Beet Processing Plant |journal=The Journal of Infectious Diseases |date=May 2005 |volume=191 |issue=9 |pages=1530–1537 |doi=10.1086/428776 |pmid=15809913 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fields |first1=Barry S. |last2=Haupt |first2=Thomas |last3=Davis |first3=Jeffrey P. |last4=Arduino |first4=Matthew J. |last5=Miller |first5=Phyllis H. |last6=Butler |first6=Jay C. |title=Pontiac Fever Due to ''Legionella micdadei'' from a Whirlpool Spa: Possible Role of Bacterial Endotoxin |journal=The Journal of Infectious Diseases |date=15 November 2001 |volume=184 |issue=10 |pages=1289–1292 |doi=10.1086/324211 |pmid=11679917 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://legionellacontrol.com/legionella/pontiac-fever-legionnaires-disease/ |title=General Information- Pontiac Fever & Legionnaires' Disease |publisher=Legionellacontrol |access-date=2011-09-02}}</ref><ref name="CDC">{{cite web |title=Legionella (Legionnaires' Disease and Pontiac Fever) |url=https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/about/about-pontiac-fever.html |website=CDC |publisher=CDC |access-date=4 July 2025}}</ref>
==Signs and symptoms== {{expand section|date=January 2026}} Pontiac fever causes flu-like symptoms including fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, headaches, and muscle aches.<ref name=hpa/>
==Cause== Species of ''Legionella'' known to cause Pontiac fever include ''Legionella pneumophila'', ''Legionella longbeachae'', ''Legionella feeleii'', ''Legionella micdadei'', and ''Legionella anisa''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Phin |first1=Nick |last2=Parry-Ford |first2=Frances |last3=Harrison |first3=Timothy |last4=Stagg |first4=Helen R |last5=Zhang |first5=Natalie |last6=Kumar |first6=Kartik |last7=Lortholary |first7=Olivier |last8=Zumla |first8=Alimuddin |last9=Abubakar |first9=Ibrahim |title=Epidemiology and clinical management of Legionnaires' disease |url=https://www.leadingageny.org/home/assets/File/Legionella%20Review_Lancet.pdf |journal=The Lancet Infectious Diseases |date=October 2014 |volume=14 |issue=10 |pages=1011–1021 |doi=10.1016/S1473-3099(14)70713-3 |pmid=24970283 }}</ref> Sources of the causative agents are aquatic systems and potting soil. The first outbreak caused by inhalation of aerosolized potting soil was discovered in New Zealand in January 2007. A total of 10 workers at a nursery came down with Pontiac fever. It was the first identification of ''L. longbeachae''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=CRAMP |first1=G. J. |last2=HARTE |first2=D. |last3=DOUGLAS |first3=N. M. |last4=GRAHAM |first4=F. |last5=SCHOUSBOE |first5=M. |last6=SYKES |first6=K. |title=An outbreak of Pontiac fever due to ''Legionella longbeachae'' serogroup 2 found in potting mix in a horticultural nursery in New Zealand |journal=Epidemiology and Infection |date=28 September 2009 |volume=138 |issue=1 |pages=15–20 |doi=10.1017/S0950268809990835 |doi-access=free |pmid=19781115 }}</ref> Pontiac fever does not spread from person to person. It is acquired through aerosolization of water droplets or potting soil containing ''Legionella'' bacteria.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Lauri A. Hicks |author2=Laurel E. Garrison |url=http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2012/chapter-3-infectious-diseases-related-to-travel/legionellosis-legionnaires-disease-and-pontiac-fever.htm |title=Legionellosis (Legionnaires' Disease & Pontiac Fever) - Chapter 3 - 2012 Yellow Book - Travelers' Health - CDC |publisher=C.cdc.gov |date=2011-07-01 |access-date=2013-04-08}}</ref>
==Epidemiology== Pontiac fever is known to have a short incubation period of 1 to 3 days. No fatalities have been reported and cases resolve spontaneously without treatment.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/clinicians.html |title=Legionella (Legionnaires' Disease and Pontiac Fever |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=CDC |publisher=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |access-date=4 June 2014 }}</ref> It is often not reported.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Pancer |first1=K |last2=Stypułkowska-Misiurewicz |first2=H |title=Gorączka Pontiac - pozapłucna postać legionelozy |trans-title=Pontiac fever - non-pneumonic legionellosis |url=http://www.przeglepidemiol.pzh.gov.pl/goraczka-pontiac-pozaplucna-postac-legionelozy?lang=en |language=pl |journal=Przeglad Epidemiologiczny |date=2003 |volume=57 |issue=4 |pages=607–12 |pmid=15029835 }}</ref> Age, gender, and smoking do not seem to be risk factors. Pontiac fever seems to affect young people in the age medians of 29 to 32. Pathogenesis of the Pontiac fever is poorly known.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fraser |first1=D. |last2=Deubner |first2=D. |last3=Hill |first3=D. |last4=Gilliam |first4=D. |title=Nonpneumonic, short-incubation-period Legionellosis (Pontiac fever) in men who cleaned a steam turbine condenser |journal=Science |date=17 August 1979 |volume=205 |issue=4407 |pages=690–691 |doi=10.1126/science.462175 |pmid=462175 |bibcode=1979Sci...205..690F }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Friedman |first1=S |last2=Spitalny |first2=K |last3=Barbaree |first3=J |last4=Faur |first4=Y |last5=McKinney |first5=R |title=Pontiac fever outbreak associated with a cooling tower |journal=American Journal of Public Health |date=May 1987 |volume=77 |issue=5 |pages=568–572 |doi=10.2105/ajph.77.5.568 |pmid=3565648 |pmc=1647035 }}</ref>
==History== Pontiac fever was named after the city of Pontiac, Michigan, where the first case was recognized.<ref name="CDC"/> In 1968, several workers at the county's department of health came down with a fever and mild flu symptoms, but not pneumonia.<ref name="CDC"/> After the 1976 Legionnaires' outbreak in Philadelphia, the Michigan health department re-examined blood samples and discovered the workers had been infected with the newly identified ''Legionella pneumophila''.<ref name="CDC"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/01/health/01docs.html|title=In Philadelphia 30 Years Ago, an Eruption of Illness and Fear|date=1 August 2006|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Tossa |first1=Paul |last2=Deloge-Abarkan |first2=Magali |last3=Zmirou-Navier |first3=Denis |last4=Hartemann |first4=Philippe |last5=Mathieu |first5=Laurence |title=Pontiac fever: an operational definition for epidemiological studies |journal=BMC Public Health |date=28 April 2006 |volume=6 |issue=1 |page=112 |doi=10.1186/1471-2458-6-112 |pmid=16646972 |pmc=1468404 |doi-access=free }}</ref> An outbreak caused by'' Legionella micdadei'' in early 1988 in the UK became known as Lochgoilhead fever.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Goldberg |first1=DavidJ. |last2=Collier |first2=PeterW. |last3=Fallon |first3=RonaldJ. |last4=Mckay |first4=ThomasM. |last5=Markwick |first5=TerenceA. |last6=Wrench |first6=JohnG. |last7=Emslie |first7=JohnA. |last8=Forbes |first8=GeraldI. |last9=Macpherson |first9=AgnesC. |last10=Reid |first10=Daniel |title=Lochgoilhead fever: outbreak of non-pneumonic legionellosis due to Legionella micdadei |journal=The Lancet |date=February 1989 |volume=333 |issue=8633 |pages=316–318 |doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(89)91319-6 |pmid=2563467 |s2cid=35846776 }}</ref> Since that time, other species of ''Legionella'' that cause Pontiac fever have been identified, most notably in New Zealand, in 2007 where ''Legionella longbeachae'' was discovered. The New Zealand outbreak also marked the first time Pontiac fever had been traced to potting soil.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}
==References==
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== External links == {{Medical resources | DiseasesDB = 7366 | ICD10 = {{ICD10|A|48|1|a|30}}, {{ICD10|A|48|2|a|30}} | ICD9 = {{ICD9|482.84}} | ICDO = | OMIM = | MedlinePlus = 000616 | eMedicineSubj = med | eMedicineTopic = 1273 | MeshID = D007876 | Orphanet=99748 }}
{{Legionnaires' disease}} {{Bacterial diseases}} {{Respiratory pathology}}
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Category:American Legion Category:Building biology Category:Gram-negative bacteria Category:Industrial hygiene Category:Legionellosis Category:Pathogenic bacteria Category:Pontiac, Michigan Category:Legionellales