BALTIMORE — The discovery of Legionella bacteria last week led to the brief closure of three Maryland state office buildings in Baltimore, forcing employees to work from home, according to a spokesperson for the Maryland Department of General Services .

State officials said they did not know the origin of the bacteria, which was discovered after periodic environmental testing. No employees have reported illness due to exposure to the bacteria, the spokesperson said.

Periodic environmental testing at 201 Preston St. in the State Center Complex on Friday showed a slight increase in Legionella bacteria, which can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a serious type of pneumonia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This building was closed over the holiday weekend and workers are back in the office.

“We brought in an outside contractor to begin work over the holiday weekend,” communications director Eric Solomon told the Baltimore Sun. “They flushed the toilet. They disinfected the pipes and retested.

At 300 W. Preston St., Legionella bacteria numbers were within the Environmental Protection Agency’s normal range, but that building was closed Wednesday for pipe flushing and sanitation. Employees can return Thursday.

Additionally, the state building at 301 Preston St. was tested in September and found to be normal. As a precaution, however, this building is closed to staff on Wednesday as contractors perform flushing and sanitation of the pipes. Workers can return Thursday.

“It is not closed due to possible bacterial threats. It’s closed because the water is off,” Solomon said.

The only other building in this State Center complex, 1100 N. Eutaw St., will be tested Monday.

The Maryland Department of Health advised workers not to drink the water until the Department of General Services receives the results of the retest.

The Health Ministry also recommended that workers wash their hands regularly with warm water and soap and disinfect them. The state provided bottled water to all staff in the building.

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