Antibiotic therapy in Legionnaire's disease

Consideration of prophylactic antibiotic therapy during an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.

TO THE EDITOR—Legionnaires’ disease is becoming a rapidly increasing public health problem in the United States, with the number of reported cases of legionellosis more than tripling since 2000 [1, 2]. Legionellosis, including Legionnaires’ disease, is typically caused by exposure to aerosolized water contaminated with high levels of Legionella bacteria. The incubation period for Legionnaires’ ...

A Case Report of Severe Legionnaires’ Disease in Tehran, Iran

Legionella pneumophila is a thin, aerobic, Gram-negative, pathogenic bacillus and the leading cause of Legionnaires’ disease (LD) in human, especially those with high risk conditions including immune system disorders or chronic lung diseases. The mortality rate of LD has been reported to be 60% or higher in inappropriately treated cases. Investigating the prevalence of L. pneumophila and identi...

Monochloramine and Legionnaires' disease

egionnaires’ disease was first recognized in 1976 during an outbreak among attendees at an American Legion convention. The disease is a form of pneumonia caused by bacteria of the genus Legionella. Legionella thrives at warm temperatures (25–42oC [77–108oF]). It lives inside biofilm in aquatic environments, usually as an intracellular parasite of amoebae.1 This lifestyle protects it from disinf...

What is Legionnaires' Disease?

Spontaneous pneumothorax complicating Legionnaires' disease.

Introduction Pneumothorax as a complication of pneumonia is more likely to occur with those infections associated with cavitation and abscess formation. Presumably rupture of a pneumatocele or abscess into the pleural space is the mechanism of production of the pneumothorax. Organisms most commonly associated with this condition include Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Meyerson, 1948) and Staphyloco...