Guggenheim Museum among Manhattan sites testing positive for Legionella bacteria

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum was listed among 31 Manhattan buildings that have tested positive for Legionella bacteria, the pathogen that causes Legionnaires’ disease, as New York City works to contain a recent outbreak. The city health department issued orders on Friday for the properties to clean and disinfect their cooling towers, with 19 sites, including the museum, already completing the remediation and the remainder expected to finish by Saturday.

City officials noted that a positive test does not prove a building is the source of the outbreak because the tests cannot differentiate between live and dead bacteria. The museum remained open throughout the testing and cleaning process.

"The city has confirmed that there is no additional action needed at this time, and this poses no risk to anyone inside the building," the museum said in a statement, adding that an outside contractor performs regular monthly testing and treatment of its cooling tower.

More than 50 cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been linked to the Upper East Side cluster, with fewer than 20 patients still hospitalized and no deaths reported. The disease, a severe form of pneumonia, is typically contracted by inhaling aerosolized water containing the bacteria, which thrive in warm water systems such as cooling towers, hot tubs and showerheads. Risk factors include age over 50, smoking, chronic lung disease and weakened immune systems.

The outbreak follows a larger incident last year in Harlem that resulted in seven deaths and over 100 illnesses after cooling towers at a hospital and a nearby construction site were identified as sources.