Two LA Fitness

health clubs in Orange County are investigated for possible Legionnaires’ disease.

Two LA Fitness health clubs in Orange County are under investigation after four customers contracted Legionnaires’ disease.

Three of the cases are tied to the club in MetroWest at 4792 Kirkman Road, said Kent Donahue, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Health in Orange County, and the other case is tied to the LA Fitness club at 12700 S. Orange Blossom Trail.

The Florida Department of Health sent investigators to the club to take water samples last week, but results won’t be available for about two weeks, Donahue said. It isn’t certain that the four individuals contracted the illness at LA Fitness, but all four patients used the health clubs. The health department is not aware of other commonalities in the cases.

A spokeswoman for LA Fitness did not immediately return a request for comment. LA Fitness sent notices to customers at the two facilities last week, warning them to watch out for any signs of Legionnaires’ disease.

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious respiratory illness caused by Legionella bacteria. It is usually contracted through water systems or sometimes through airconditioning systems.

An LA Fitness health club in Ocoee was also investigated for signs of Legionella bacteria in April, but results were negative, Donahue said.

Reports of Legionnaires’ disease and Legionella bacteria are not common in Orange County, but happen more frequently in enclosed water systems, such as hot tubs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC reports that there were about 6,000 cases of Legionnaires’ diseases reported in 2015 in the United States.

But LA Fitness in Central Florida has had two confirmed cases of the bacteria in recent years, including in 2008 at an LA Fitness in south downtown Orlando and in 2010 at an LA Fitness in the Waterford Lakes area.

There was also a positive test for Legionella bacteria at Florida Hospital Orlando in late 2015 and early 2016.

The illness is more common in summer and early fall but can happen any time of year, according to the agency’s website.

Donahue said people at higher risk of contracting serious symptoms from the bacteria include people over 50, people with lung and respiratory diseases and people with compromised immune systems.

Because of possible Legionella bacteria, the two LA Fitness health clubs are being asked to use elevated levels of chlorine in spa areas and use extra filters on showers.