By AMBER STEWART

The source of Legionnaires Disease bacteria is still unknown after county worker’s Sept. 20 diagnosis.

The source of Legionnaires Disease bacteria is still unknown after county worker’s Sept. 20 diagnosis.

No other cases have been reported in the Williamson County Clerk’s office, where the woman was a deputy clerk, or anywhere else in the county administrative complex on West Main Street in Franklin. And no other cases have been reported in the area.

The Clerk’s office remains open and running normally.

The woman, who has worked in the clerk’s office for 10 years, sits next to an older air conditioning unit.

A team has been utilized to test the air conditioner, but Infectious Disease Specialist William Schaffner says that it would be very unusual for a case of Legionnaires to have been caused by a small room air conditioner.

“I cannot think of a documented case,” he said.

Legionnaire’s disease is a type of pneumonia that is caused by bacteria named Legionella. The bacteria grow in wet environments. “It has an affinity for man-made water related devices and structures,” Schaffner said. The bacteria are especially drawn to large cooling towers, and sometimes even decorative fountains. The bacteria can multiply in these damp environments, and can be carried away in the spray.

“We do not have that kind of system,” Diane Giddens, chief of staff to Mayor Anderson, said. She also added, “If there were an outbreak, there would be numerous cases. There have been no other cases reported.”

“Most of the time, the sources of individual cases remain unknown,” Schaffner said. “We need to be careful attributing cases to a single source.”

The symptoms of Legionnaires are coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, diarrhea, fever, and chills. If you are experiencing these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.