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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
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We encountered two cases of legionella pneumonia which ran a dramatic course and isolated Legionella dumoffii from one patient and Legionella pneumophila serogroup 5 from the other patient. The patient from whom L. dumoffii was isolated was a 59-year-old male with no basic disease. He presented chill, fever, coughing and other symptoms, starting on July 3, 1986, his disease was diagnosed as pneumonia at the clinic of his company. The patient was then introduced and admitted to our hospital. On admission chest radiography disclosed zonal pneumonia with an unclear border in the right superior lobe of the lung; a beta-lactam preparation was administered, but no effect was obtained and the lung lesion showed a rapid advance. From this condition, we suspected legionella pneumonia and changed the therapy to treatment with erythromycin and rifampicillin. Despite this, no improvement occurred and the patient died on the 26th hospital day. Colonies like Legionella colonies were separated from a total of seven specimens of biopsy aspirated matter from the airway and autopsy collected lung abscess and tracheal secretions, and the bacterium was identified L. dumoffii based on the biochemical and serological properties. In addition, the patient's serum was found to have an increased antibody titer against L. dumoffii. Based on these findings, the patient's disease was diagnosed as pneumonia as caused by L. dumoffii, a relatively rare bacterium as a member of the genus Legionella. The patient from whom Legionella pneumophila serogroup 5 was isolated was an 81-year-old man with basic diseases such as heart failure, anemia and hypothyroidism. He presented fever, general fatigue, anorexia and other symptoms, starting around June 2, 1987; pneumonia was suspected and the patient was urgently admitted to our hospital. The patient died of pneumonia of unknown cause on the second hospital day. To clarify the cause, autopsy was conducted; a large number of colonies like Legionella colonies were noted in the lung tissue. Identification test was then conducted and the bacterium was identified as L. pneumophila; we concluded that the patient's pneumonia had been caused by the identified bacterium L. pneumophila. The isolate was further subjected to slide agglutination test and identified as L. pneumophila serogroup 5.
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PMID:[Legionella dumoffii and Legionella pneumophila serogroup 5 isolated from 2 cases of fulminant pneumonia]. 250 80

Both sporadic cases and outbreaks of legionnaire's disease have been reported. To date, no outbreaks have occurred but several case reports have been published in Switzerland. The newly organized surveillance system of notifiable diseases, introduced in 1987, makes it possible for the first time to analyze reported sporadic cases more precisely. In 1988, the laboratories reported a total of 32 cases with cultural or serologic proof of legionellosis. In 75% of cases patients were aged over 40 years, 78% occurred among males. The majority of them were known to be smokers. In 9 cases an underlying predisposing condition was known: hairy cell leukemia (3 cases), immune hemolytic anemia (1), type 2 diabetes (2), chronic lung disease (1), heart failure (1). The case fatality was 9%. A possible source of exposure, such as air-conditioned rooms or evaporative condensers, was reported in 4 cases.
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PMID:[Epidemiology of legionnaires' disease in Switzerland in 1988]. 269 49

In a prospective study (from April, 1980 to April, 1981) of 110 patients with moderately severe to severe pneumonia 11 were found to have 12 manifestations of Legionnaires' disease. Diagnosis was proven by indirect immunofluorescence tests, either a quadruple titre rise to 1 : 128 or a single titre of at least 1 : 256. The clinical picture in all 11 patients was the typical one of severe pneumonia, usually involving the lower lobes, high fever between 39 and 40.4 degrees C, as well as WBC counts between 6.8 and 28.9 X 10(9)/l. In nine cases artificial ventilation was required, in four there was acute renal failure requiring dialysis, in four other definite renal insufficiency. All patients had underlying disease, in some severe, such as chronic obstructive lung disease, diabetes mellitus, heart failure, liver cirrhosis, renal transplantation or extensive operations. Eight patients died, four of them of Legionnaires; disease. The relatively high infection rate (10%) indicates that in patients with risk factors, as well as those with a pneumonia unresponsive to the standard treatment within five to seven days, Legionnaires' disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis.
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PMID:[Legionnaires' disease: prospective study of its incidence, clinical features and prognosis. (author's transl)]. 706 Apr 96

A case of Legionnaires' disease is described in which the characteristic features of multilobar pneumonia, rhabdomyolysis, renal failure, hepatic and CNS involvement are accompanied by the previously undescribed complication of myocarditis. Clinical and laboratory findings of myocardial involvement included overt heart failure, a new gallop, an abnormal ECG, elevated myocardial specific enzymes and an abnormal thallium scan. All of these abnormalities resolved completely after recovery.
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PMID:Myocarditis in legionnaires' disease. 746 Jun 58

Legionella infections are getting increasingly important as causes of severe pneumonias or of acute respiratory insufficiency. Consumptive or immunosuppressive underlying diseases such as diabetes mellitus, cardiac insufficiency, alcohol-induced liver damage, malignant tumours or drug-induced immunosuppression after organ transplantation, are among the risk factors. Diagnosis is based on direct identification of the pathogen from body secretions by means of direct immunofluorescence. The serological immunoresponse often takes place long after outbreak of the disease or fails entirely to appear and is therefore only suitable for retrospective confirmation. Therapy of choice is an intravenous administration of erythromycin. There are now increasing pointers to the efficiency of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin. We report on the course of a severe case of legionnaire's disease with multiple organ failure occurring in a patient after bone marrow depression induced by anti-inflammatory drugs. Treatment erythromycin resulted in a marked cholestasis, so that antibiotic treatment was changed to ciprofloxacin. This therapy as well as the supportive intensive-care treatment eventually led to the patient's complete recovery. Based on the case report, fundamental aspects of diagnostics, antibiotic treatment, intensive-care treatment and prognosis of severe cases of legionellosis are discussed.
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PMID:[Severe legionellosis after abuse of anti-inflammatory drugs--diagnostic and intensive care aspects based on a case report]. 763 62

Cardiac involvement during Legionnaires' disease has been rarely described; few cases of myocarditis, pericarditis and endocarditis were reported. We describe a case of myocarditis associated to pneumonia, with high antibody title suggesting a disease due to Legionella pneumophila. The patient had severe myocardial damage, with overt heart failure and important ECG and Doppler-echocardiographic abnormalities, without associated multiorgan involvement.
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PMID:[Myocarditis in legionellosis. A case report]. 899 66

All series of infective endocarditis had a variable proportion of cases without an etiologic agent because all cultures were negative. New microbiologic techniques have permitted the discovery of the role of many microorganisms in infective endocarditis. C. burnetii is an increasing causative agent of subacute infective endocarditis. In the diagnosis, to the detection of antiphase-I antibodies, immunohistochemical, molecular techniques and cellular cultures have been added. Total cure is difficult to obtain. The combination of doxicicline plus ciprofloxacin for at least 3 years has been proposed as the treatment of choice. Surgery must be reserved for patients with cardiac insufficiency. Less than 2% of cases of acute brucellosis are complicate with infective endocarditis. Infective endocarditis produces serious and rapid valvular destruction with high mortality rates if valve surgery is not performed. For medical treatment at least 3 active agents are required. Bartonella has recently been described as an etiologic agent of infective endocarditis. It mainly affects to homeless people living in poor hygienic conditions. The aortic valve is most commonly involved and, frequently, valve insufficiency requires valve replacement. Blood culture isolation needs long incubation periods. Parenteral nutrition, immunosuppression, wide spectrum antibiotic regimens, intravenous drug addiction and cardiovascular surgery are risk factors previously described in the development of fungal endocarditis. C. albicans and Aspergillus spp. are most frequent etiologic agents. Infective endocarditis should be suspected in any patient with systemic fungal disease. Blood cultures are often negative except for Candida spp. Peripheral emboli and large vegetations are frequent. Mortality is high, antifungal therapy combined with surgery is the treatment of choice. Legionella, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, Mycobacteria, viruses are potential agents of infective endocarditis, and difficult to diagnose because of special culture requirements. Epidemiological clues, serologic and molecular techniques and blood cultures could identify them.
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PMID:[Infective endocarditis caused by unusual microorganisms]. 965 53

Patients hospitalized with community acquired pneumonia were studied prospectively in two hospitals located in the surroundings of Buenos Aires city. Fifty two patients from General Hospital Manuel Belgrano (HMB) were included from March 1998 to February 1999 and 23 patients from Hospital Dr A. Cetrangolo (HCET) for respiratory disease, were included from June 2000 to May 2001. Patients with lung tuberculosis, lung neoplasia and HIV infection were excluded. Clinical background, signs and symptoms were recorded. Microbiological examinations performed included bacteria, respiratory viruses and mycobacteria. Studies for "atypical" bacteria (Chlamydia spp., Coxiella burnetii, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Legionella spp.) were carried out by serological methods. No differences in age and gender were observed between both groups. Most frequently observed comorbidities in the HMB group included COPD, diabetes and cardiac failure while in the HCET group these were COPD, asthma and lung fibrosis. Etiology was established in 48% and 65.2% of the patients in the first and second group, respectively. Most frequent agents were Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, influenza A and Legionella spp.; the last one was detected in 12% of the patients. Most of these patients were from HMB and presented a good outcome. Mortality was similar in both groups (13.3%). In the HBM group it was related to the presence of comorbidities in 7 out of 8 cases, and in the HCET group it was a consequence of the worsening of their chronic respiratory failure.
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PMID:[Community-acquired pneumonia in patients in 2 hospital populations]. 1267 53

Moxifloxacin, a recent, new quinolone agent, has superior pharmacokinetics and appears to be safe for patients with renal failure, as it is mainly excreted in the bile. The case of a hemodialysis patient with Legionella pneumonia who was successfully treated with moxifloxacin is reported. A 76-year-old woman, who had been on hemodialysis for chronic renal failure secondary to diabetic nephropathy, visited her hospital with a cough and fever. Pneumonia was diagnosed, and intravenous administration of cefotiam hydrochloride was begun, but her respiratory condition deteriorated. She was transferred to our hospital with dyspnea. A chest radiograph showed consolidation in both lung fields and cardiomegaly. A urinary antigen test for Legionella was positive. Legionella pneumonia with heart failure was diagnosed and she was started on 400 mg a day moxifloxacin. Her clinical condition improved. Moxifloxacin appears to be useful in the treatment of Legionella pneumonia in patients with renal failure.
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PMID:[Successful treatment of Legionella pneumonia with moxifloxacin in a hemodialysis patient]. 1963 6