Sara Taylor​ – Legionnaires’ Disease Survivor Story

In this interview, Sara Taylor shares details about her battle with Legionnaires’ disease.

Sara’s case of Legionnaires’ disease was among the first in the United States that the CDC found to be caused by Legionella in potting soil rather than a building water system. Sara was close to death and thanks the hospital and doctors for saving her life even though they did not initially know what they were fighting.

Because Sara was infected by Legionella longbeachae – a Legionella species that is not detected by the urine test commonly used in hospitals – the CDC’s report of Sara’s case emphasized “the importance of reporting cases of Legionnaires’ disease to local and state health officials and of culturing patient specimens for Legionella. Although urine antigen tests provide rapid and accurate diagnosis of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, these tests are not sensitive for other serogroups or species.”