LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) -- A 73-year-old German tourist died after being infected by the Legionnaires' disease while on vacation in Slovenia, the state-run Public Health Institute said Tuesday.

The man, who was not identified, died in the clinic in southwestern Slovenia on July 30, four days after being hospitalized.

The cause of death was sepsis, but the man's urine test later showed the presence of the bacterium that causes Legionnaire's disease, the institute said in a statement.

The disease's symptoms were discovered in six other people who were on vacation with the man who died, the statement said. Three of them are hospitalized in Germany.

The bacterium appeared to be present in the water system in a hotel in Koper, 80 kilometers (50 miles) southwest of Ljubljana, the capital, the institute said. The water supply system in the hotel has since been cleared.

The bacterium believed to be responsible for Legionnaires' disease is found in soil and grows in water, such as air conditioning ducts, storage tanks and rivers. Legionnaires' disease causes pneumonia-like symptoms that develop within two to three days after exposure.

The disease takes its name from an outbreak at the Pennsylvania American Legion convention in July 1976.

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