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What it is

Pontiac fever is a mild illness without pneumonia caused by a type of bacteria called Legionella.

Types

Legionella most commonly causes one of two diseases:

• Legionnaires' disease is a type of severe pneumonia
• Pontiac fever is a milder illness that gets better without treatment

Rarely, Legionella can cause infections outside of the lungs, such as heart or wound infections.

Symptoms

It usually takes between a few hours to 3 days after being exposed to Legionella bacteria to develop Pontiac fever symptoms. This illness is milder than Legionnaires' disease. Someone with Pontiac fever doesn't have pneumonia.

Symptoms usually last less than 1 week and mostly include:

• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Headaches

Complications are not expected with Pontiac fever.

Risk factors

Pontiac fever can affect healthy people of any age if exposed to Legionella bacteria.

Causes

A type of bacteria called Legionella causes Pontiac fever. People can get Pontiac fever when they breathe in mist that contains the bacteria.

Prevention

The key to preventing Pontiac fever is to reduce the risk of Legionella growth and spread.

Testing and diagnosis

Pontiac fever may be difficult to detect with laboratory tests. Most tests to diagnose illness from Legionella are only meant for patients with pneumonia. Healthcare providers may use a urine, blood, or respiratory specimen test if they suspect a patient has Pontiac fever based on symptoms and exposure history.

A negative test doesn't rule out that someone may have Pontiac fever. It's most often diagnosed when there are other cases of Legionnaires' disease or Pontiac fever that are confirmed by lab tests. Patients with a confirmed illness may've been exposed to Legionella at the same time or place as others with suspected illnesses.

Treatment and recovery

Pontiac fever goes away on its own without requiring treatment.

History

The first identified cases of Pontiac fever occurred in 1968 in Pontiac, Michigan. Those affected included people who worked at and visited the city's health department.

Legionella wasn't discovered until after the 1976 Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Philadelphia. Then public health officials were able to show these bacteria cause both diseases.