Hot tub lung anyone?
It’s possible to contract a respiratory condition, colloquially referred to as hot-tub lung.It’s triggered by microbes called mycobacteria, from the same family as those which cause the infection tuberculosis (TB).
Like in TB, hot-tub lung bacteria generate patches of inflammation in the lung tissue. This results in symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough and fever. The lung changes can be seen on an X-ray or CT scan of the chest, and may appear quite profound.
The hot tub acts as a perfect environment for the growth of these bacteria because the warmth of the system creates an optimum temperature for their proliferation. The bubbling of the water also acts as an aerosol – allowing the bacteria to be released into the air, where they can be inhaled.
Unlike TB, which requires long-term antibiotics and is becoming increasingly difficult to treat, hot-tub lung may be considered more of an inflammatory condition.