170 Sick After Playboy Mansion Outbreak: Pontiac Fever Suspected

by Jordan Yerman | February 14, 2011 at 04:17 pm

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Playboy Mansion Outbreak: Possible Pontiac Fever

Up to 170 people have come down with a fever after working at or attending a party at the Playboy Mansion. The illness is suspected to be a strain of Legionellosis called Pontiac fever (as opposed to Legionnaire's disease). Legionellosis has similar symptoms to influenza.

The outbreak is connected to a February 3 event for the DOMAINfest Global Conference. The Los Angeles County Department of Health is investigating, with assistance from the CDC.

The department was notified last Friday of a "suspected respiratory infection outbreak" among those associated with the conference, and officials were still identifying and contacting possible victims Monday, according to the statement.

"It knocked me off my feet for five days," he said. "I'm over it now, but I'm still feeling fatigue, which is not a good thing."
For the last few days, Castello said, he lay in bed recovering from fever, a dry cough, headaches and back spasms.