You have to hand it to Playboy founder Hugh Heffner – never a dull moment at his parties.

At one of the recent parties at the Playboy Mansion, over 120 guests were treated to the sometimes deadly Legionnaire’s Disease.

Los Angeles County public health inspectors report that legionella bacteria was found in the famous Grotto pool’s hot tub, easily one of the most sought-after tickets in the world.  Does Heffner do anything small?  The health department findings were presented at a conference in at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia.

Most of the guests who reported being sick showed the tell-tale symptoms, including fever, headache, coughing, shortness of breath and aching in their muscles. Sixty-nine of them became ill on the day of the party. Three guests also tested positive for the H1N1 flu.

It looks like the hot tub failed to kill any of its victims this time around, but it is considered by many to be armed and dangerous. Legionella is among the bacteria transmitted from contaminated aerosols that can grow in hot tubs when their maintenance and disinfection are not followed through properly.

The party was a fundraising event as part of the Domainfest conference, which hosted 700 delegates from 30 countries.  Well, at least this added some excitement to what would be considered by most people a pretty dull conference.

Meanwhile, Hugh Heffner, the 84-year-old publishing legend, is preparing in June to marry Crystal Harris, the 24-year-old Playboy Playmate of the month for December 2009.  Playboy is planning a wedding spread in the magazine.  Says Heffner, “It’s the Chinese year of the rabbit, so the bunny is back.”

They plan to marry at the Playboy Mansion, but perhaps they might want to keep a cover on their hot tub.

Tags: bacteria, crystal harris, hot tub, hugh heffner, legionnaires disease, playboy