Quebec Legionnaires' death toll hits 10

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QUEBEC CITY, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Quebec has claimed its 10th victim, health officials in the Canadian province say.

As of Friday, 158 cases of the disease had been confirmed, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Public health board officials said, however, fewer cases of infections have been turning up.

Quebec City Mayor Regis Labeaume has said he wants the board to release the locations of buildings where Legionella pneumophila bacteria has been found.

Many building owners have not responded to a government request to inspect their cooling towers, the type of place where the bacteria is known to flourish, the board said. The bacteria has been found in the cooling systems of two buildings in Old Quebec, the CBC said.

The bacteria first made news and gained its name at a Philadelphia hotel in 1976 at a convention of U.S. Legion members where more than 30 people died.

Legionnaires' disease can go unnoticed in some people, but affects the lungs of heavy smokers and the elderly particularly hard, medical research indicates.