
GlaxoSmithKline Shuts Down North Carolina Plant After Discovery of Legionella Bacteria
The company closed its Zebulon-based plant after routine testing of a cooling tower revealed the presence of the bacterium responsible for Legionnaire’s disease.
GlaxoSmithKline temporarily closed its North Carolina plant on Aug. 11, 2015 after testing of a plant cooling tower revealed the presence of the bacterium Legionella, which is known to cause Legionnaire's disease. Legionella is a gram-negative bacteria that can usually be traced to water sources, and Legionnaire’s disease is a serious pneumonia-like condition that is contracted by breathing in air or mist contaminated with the microbe.
According to
A recent outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in the Bronx attributed to a cooling tower sickened 113 people and killed 12,
Sources: The New York Times, The News & Observer
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