Potential Legionella bacteria exposure at K Academy

Eighty four attendees of the annual K Academy camp were potentially exposed to Legionella, a Duke Athletics spokesperson announced Thursday evening. 

Legionella is a bacteria that can cause a lung infection known as Legionnaires' disease according to the CDC. Pontiac fever can also be caused by the bacteria, though that is a less serious diagnosis. All 84 people with the possible Legionella exposure are being treated with flu-like symptoms such as a fever, muscle fatigue, nausea and respiratory distress. None of the infected individuals were Duke student-athletes and no student-athlete was exposed.

University medical experts and public health officials are trying to figure out the cause. It is believed to be in the Schwartz-Butters Building near Cameron Indoor Stadium and the training room believed to have the exposure is currently going through cleaning.

All infected individuals are expected to make a full recovery and Legionella is believed to not spread from person to person, though the New England Journal of Medicine conducted a study where experts suspected person-to-person transmission to be a source of spread.