A deadly outbreak of hot tub bacteria in New Hampshire left one person dead and another hospitalized.
The patients contracted Legionnaires’ disease and suffered severe pneumonia after a stay at the $200-a-night Mountain View Resort and Spa in the state’s north.
Both had taken dips in the hot tub, one just last month, with swabs confirming the water was contaminated with the bacteria behind the disease.
Among the patients was 71-year-old Barbara Kruschwitz, who died just a week after returning home to Massachusetts and was diagnosed with the infection.
Officials say the hot tub was the likely source of the outbreak and has now been drained and closed to the public to minimize the risk of further infections.
The discovery was revealed just days before the state votes tonight in the Republican primaries.
The bacteria behind Legionnaires’ disease was discovered in the hot tub at the Mountain View Resort and Spa in Whitefield, in the state’s north
The photo above shows a hot tub in the hotel. The establishment also features a golf course, fine dining and spa day packages
Barbara Kruschwitz, 71, of Merrimac, Massachusetts, stayed at the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitfield, New Hampshire, in early October. A week after her visit, she was hospitalized with the deadly infection and died on October 10
A spokesperson for the local health department said: ‘(We) conducted initial testing which showed that Legionella bacteria were present in the resort’s hot tub.
“At this point in the investigation, the department believes the hot tub may have been the source of Legionella exposure for the two individuals.”
They added: ‘The resort’s hot tub remains closed and poses no threat to the public.’
Testing of the water in the hotel’s two swimming pools and the water from the taps returned negative results for the deadly bacteria. No other sources of Legionella were found in the hotel
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by the bacteria Legionella, which can thrive in water supplies, especially warm springs.
People can become infected by inhaling water droplets or vapor from contaminated water, where the bacteria infect their lungs.
Patients may experience fever, headache and lethargy within two weeks of infection, which then gradually progresses to pneumonia or other complications.
About 10 percent of people who become ill with Legionnaires’ disease will die due to complications from their illness, but in people with weakened immune systems the death rate can be as high as 30 percent.
Doctors will normally try to fight the infection with antibiotics.
The hotel also has two swimming pools, which were also tested for the bacteria behind Legionnaires’ disease, although these results were negative
The above shows a bathroom in a room at the resort and spa, where a room costs $200 per night
It was not clear how the bacteria got into the hot tub, but it is known that the bacteria naturally thrives in fresh water and can then be brought into the hot tub by swimmers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that hot tub chlorine levels be tested regularly to prevent an outbreak.
The deceased patient, a 71-year-old woman from Massachusetts, was named Barbara Kruschwitz.
The second patient has not been named, but is known to have visited the Rhode Island hot tub last month.
No further cases have been identified in the outbreak so far.
The local Department of Health revealed the hot tub connection a week before the New Hampshire primary, which will take place this week.
Ms. Kruschwitz stayed at the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitfield in early October.
But a week after her visit, she was hospitalized with the deadly infection and died on October 10.
Her grief-stricken husband, Henry Kruschwitz, told the local affiliate ABC5 News that his wife swam in the pool and used the hot tub.
He believes the bacteria may have spread through the water aerosols that contributed to her death.
He told WMUR that of his wife ‘the heart had stopped and she could not come back to life.’
Dr. Benjamin Chan, an epidemiologist with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, told the news station that the guests who became infected were not related.
“They were at the resort at different times, different months in fact, and stayed in different rooms.”
He added: ‘They were both older adults and they were both hospitalized because of their infection, which is often the case with Legionnaires’ disease.’
And above is one of the lobbies at the resort, where many campaigners may be ahead of the primaries
A representative for the hotel told DailyMail.com: ‘Tests conducted by the New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services detected a trace level of Legionella bacteria in the property’s hot tub filter.
‘It is unclear at this time, and may never be known, whether the spores of Legionella came from the same bacteria that led to the illness of two former guests.
‘The indoor hot tub, when operational, was a self-contained system and Legionella spores were isolated from the rest of the property.’
They added: ‘Out of an abundance of caution, the property immediately drained, closed and eliminated the hot tub, and there are no plans to reopen it.
“Mountain View will continue to work closely with the DPHS to ensure the health and safety of our guests.”