las vegasMost of us turn on the water faucet and just assume our water is safe. And if you're playing in Las Vegas, I'm sure water contamination is the last thing you have on your mind. So imagine the shock of guests at the Luxor when they found out the water supply of the hotel-casino was contaminated with the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' Disease.

All sorts of tasteless jokes are running through my mind right now, along the lines of "what happens in Vegas ..." But this is no laughing matter. A guest of the Luxor died of pnemonia.

This wasn't an isolated case, either. Three cases of Luxor guests coming down with the disease have been reported within the past year. Meanwhile, the company that owns the Luxor, MGM Resorts International, is defending itself from lawsuits from guests who say they were infected by the bacteria while at Aria Resort & Casino, half-owned by MGM.

These aren't exactly the kinds of fleabag hotels where you'd expect to get sick from the water.

The bacteria that causes Legionnaires' Disease, Legionella, can be found in fresh water -- especially warmish fresh water. You can't catch it from another person. Instead, you can be contaminated when you inhale water vapor with Legionella. And even if you do become contaminated, most people will not become ill. It's people with chronic lung disease, weak immune systems, and the elderly who are most vulnerable.

So if you're healthy, there's nothing to worry about, right? Ugh, this still skeeves me out. I think any hotel's water supply should be safer than that!

Have you ever come down with a travel-related illness?

 

Image via Allen McGregor/Flickr