Acute exacerbations are a frequent complication during the clinical course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A recent monograph dealing with COPD exacerbations demonstrated that virtually all issues related to the management of acute exacerbations remain unsettled and controversial, including the definition, aetiology, microbial patterns, and antimicrobial treatment of this condi...

Environmental bacteria of the genus Legionella naturally parasitize free-living amoebae. Upon inhalation of bacteria-laden aerosols, the opportunistic pathogens grow intracellularly in alveolar macrophages and can cause a life-threatening pneumonia termed Legionnaires' disease. Intracellular replication in amoebae and macrophages takes place in a unique membrane-bound compartment, the Legionell...

To the Editor: In general, reports of extrapulmonary Legionella spp. infections are scarce. For example, L. micdadei infection was found with the following manifestations: a mass on the left side of the neck and low-grade fever in a healthy 9-year-old girl (1); multiple liver and lung abscesses in a 7-year-old girl with acute lymphoblas-tic leukemia who had undergone allo-geneic cord blood tran...

We evaluated the in vitro activity of piperacillin alone or in combination with the beta-lactamase inhibitor tazobactam against clinical isolates of Legionella species. At an inoculum of approximately 10(4) CFU, tazobactam, piperacillin, and the 8:1 combination had equivalent activities against Legionella spp. At an approximately 10-fold higher inoculum, the following results were obtained, exp...

Reported cases of legionellosis attributable to Legionella longbeachae infection have increased worldwide. In Australia and New Zealand, L. longbeachae has been a known cause of legionellosis since the late 1980s. All cases for which a source was confirmed were associated with potting mixes and composts. Unlike the situation with other Legionella spp., L. longbeachae-contaminated water systems ...

Compost is widely used for gardening. Growers can choose to buy compost from markets or make at home. Potential exposure of users pathogens through composting includes ingesting foodborne and inhaling airborne pathogens. This study compared the abundances genetic markers five opportunistic in backyard commercial composts, as well an immature swine mortality compost. We found that ttrC Salmonell...