About Pontiac Fever

Revised 1/2024

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On this page:
What is Pontiac fever?
What are the symptoms?
Who is at risk?
How is it spread?
How is it treated?
How is it prevented?

What is Pontiac fever?

• Pontiac fever is a mild flu-like illness caused by exposure to Legionella bacteria, which is found in water.
• It often does not require treatment.
  • More about About Legionnaires’ Disease
• It is a less serious form of Legionella-related illness than Legionnaires’ disease, which is a serious type of pneumonia (lung infection) caused by Legionella bacteria.
  • Pontiac fever does not involve pneumonia.
• Pontiac fever was named  for the first recognized outbreak of the illness, in Pontiac, Michigan in 1968.   

What are the symptoms?

• The most common symptoms are: 
  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Muscle aches
• Symptoms generally begin within a few hours to up to 3 days after exposure to Legionella bacteria. 

Who is at risk?

• Persons of any age are at risk for Pontiac fever.

How is it spread?

• Pontiac fever is spread by breathing in small water droplets in the air that contain Legionella bacteria.
• The bacteria present a risk to human health when they grow and then are spread by devices that create water mist such as:
  • hot tubs
  • showers
  • decorative fountains
  • cooling towers
• People can get sick if they breathe in small water droplets that contain the bacteria.
• Pontiac fever is not spread from person to person.

How is it treated?

• Pontiac fever is usually not treated with antibiotics.
• Most people recover within 2-5 days.

How is it prevented?

• Prevention of Pontiac fever involves the same steps as prevention of Legionnaires’ disease. 
• Depending on environmental conditions, Legionella organisms can multiply and spread from many types of human-made water systems such as hot tubs, showerheads, sink faucets, decorative fountains and water features, hot water tanks and heaters, large complex plumbing systems, and cooling towers (structures containing water and a fan as part of centralized cooling systems for buildings or industrial processes). 
• Home and car air conditioning units do not use water to cool the air, so they are not a risk for Legionella growth.
• The key to preventing illness is to reduce the risk of Legionella growth and spread in building water systems and devices through good maintenance strategies. These strategies include monitoring water temperatures and disinfectant levels and preventing stagnant water conditions.
• Building owners and managers should develop and implement a water management program using ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) standards.