Thanks for the ping Lucy. I'm thinking Legionaire's bacterium grows in moist/wet unclean places. Having a water fountain in a restaurant or hotel etc. is just asking for trouble. The mist will travel and land on the food in restaurants and probably into the a/c system in hotels.
As far as drinking fountains are concerned I haven't drank from one of them since 1970.[that is a cocktail of germs rather than just water in there] Of course if they decide to poison bottled water I'm a goner.
Ping for SD news to RR
This city has gone nuts the past couple of months trying to track down the source of the Legionaire's Disease. I am so glad they finally did. Even our mayor spent quite a long time in the hospital from the disease. The owner has several restaurants in the area and is a pretty nice guy. I'm sure he is devastated.
I've eaten at Casa del Rey many times. The fountain is lovely and reminiscent of colonial Mexico. It sits in the lobby and everyone walks past it to get into the dining rooms.
Their salsa is great.
This is from the CDC website:
The Legionella bacteria are found naturally in the environment, usually in water.
The bacteria grow best in warm water, like the kind found in hot tubs, cooling towers,
hot water tanks,
large plumbing systems, or air-conditioning systems of large buildings. They do not seem to grow in car or window air-conditioners.
The infection is transmitted through the respiratory system. Person-to-person spread has not been proved.
The goal of treatment is to eliminate the infection with antibiotics. Treatment is started as soon as Legionnaire's disease is suspected, without waiting for confirmation by culture results.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/legionellosis_g.htm