LAS VEGAS, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- A guest who stayed at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in December and contracted Legionnaires' disease has died, Nevada health officials said.
Brian Labus, a senior epidemiologist at the Southern Nevada Health District, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not released the patient's name or when he or she died, the Las Vegas Sun reported Tuesday.
Health officials found Luxor water samples tested positive for Legionlla bacteria.
Gordon Absher, vice president of public affairs for MGM Resorts International, said super-heating and super-chlorinating water was used to kill the bacteria in the area where the deceased guest stayed, within a day the test results were confirmed, Absher said.
Within 10 days the hotel will undertake a voluntary remediation for the rest of the hotel, Absher said.
"We take this very seriously," Absher told the Sun said. "Health of our guests and our employees is of paramount importance to MGM Resorts."
The Luxor also developed a monitoring plan to prevent this from occurring, Labus said.
Last spring, two guests staying at the Luxor also became ill with Legionnaires' disease, but both recovered.
At the time, the health district collected bulk water samples for an environmental assessment, but no Legionella bacteria were detected, officials said.
RSS Feeds 
, Stefano Fontana PhD a, Federica Pinci BiolD a, Emanuela Fiumana MD b, Maria Federica Pedna BiolD c, Paolo Farolfi MD e, Maria Antonietta Bucci Sabattini BiolD d, Maria Scaturro PhD aIn February, 2011, an 82-year-old woman was admitted to the intensive care unit with fever and respiratory distress. She was conscious and responsive. Chest radiography showed several areas of lung consolidation. She had no underlying disease. Legionnaires' disease was promptly diagnosed by Legionella pneumophila urinary antigen test; a bronchial aspirate was taken for microbiological examination. Oral ciprofloxacin (750 mg every 12 h) was started immediately. Nevertheless, the patient developed f ... To read this article in full you will need to login or make a paymentAlready Registered? Please LoginUsername:Password: Forgotten Username or Password?Remember me on this computer until I logout Payment Options Purchase this article for $31.50 Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record. Subscribe to The Lancet
Miguel Sabria,Victor L Yu.The Lancet Infectious Diseases 1 June 2002; Volume 2, Issue 6: Page 368ReviewProblem pathogens: paediatric legionellosis—implications for improved diagnosis