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By Karen Brooks
Aug 11 (Reuters) - Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline closed itsNorth Carolina factory on Tuesday after testing at a coolingtower found bacteria that causes deadly Legionnaire's disease, acompany spokeswoman said.
The Legionella bacteria was discovered during routineinspections at the site in Zebulon, N.C., GSK spokeswoman JenniBrewer Ligday said.
GSK is a healthcare company that researches and developspharmaceuticals, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. The Zebulon site employs more than 4,400 manufacturing, researchand development, and sales and marketing staff, GSK said on itswebsite.
The site will reopen when the situation is remedied, Ligdaysaid. The tower is a stand-alone structure that does not come incontact with any products, she said.
Ligday said 600 workers were sent home or told not to comein while the towers were being cleaned and retested.
City and state officials said the discovery did not warranta public health alert and that no threat was posed to citydrinking water but it was being tested as a precaution,according to a report in the Charlotte News and Observernewspaper.
The bacteria is found naturally in warm water and thrives inenvironments such as hot tubs, cooling towers, water tanks,large plumbing systems and fountains, according to the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Legionnaire's disease, a severe kind of pneumonia, iscontracted by breathing in mist containing the bacteria. It isnot contagious, according to the CDC.
Last week, New York City's Department of Health ordered theinspection and cleaning of all cooling towers in the city inresponse to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that hasclaimed 12 lives. (Reporting by Karen Brooks in Austin, Texas; Editing by EricWalsh)
