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Query: UMLS:C0023241 (Legionella)
 6,990 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Legionella pneumophila and related species are important causes of epidemic bacterial pneumonia and nosocomial infection. This review will discuss this new family of bacteria and the diseases they produce. The classification, general microbiologic characteristics, and ecology of the bacteria will be reviewed and the epidemiology and clinical aspects of the infection will be discussed. More emphasis will be given to issues that are more directly related to laboratory workers and with which the author has had more direct experience: pathology, laboratory diagnosis of human infection, pathogenesis of the infection, and virulence mechanisms of the bacterium. Therapy and prevention of the infection will be discussed more briefly.
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PMID:Legionella and Legionnaires' disease: a review with emphasis on environmental studies and laboratory diagnosis. 388 Dec 18

Two cases of Legionnaires' disease proven by seroconversion in indirect immunofluorescence are reported. Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) was increased in both patients, and one had rhabdomyolysis with acute renal failure and acute respiratory distress. A review of the literature brought out 9 other cases of rhabdomyolysis associated with Legionnaires' disease. Myalgias are an inconstant warning symptom; renal impairment is present in more than one half of the cases, and although pulmonary lesions are moderate, respiratory muscle involvement may require mechanical ventilation. In view of the severe complications of rhabdomyolysis, CPK should be systematically assayed in patients with Legionnaires' disease; 57 p. 100 of whom, according to published reports, have high CPK levels. In a retrospective study of bacterial pneumonia caused by common pathogens, we found that CPK was elevated in 31 p. 100 of the cases. The mechanism of muscular involvement is discussed.
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PMID:[Muscular involvement in Legionnaires' disease. Review of the literature apropos of 2 cases]. 400 48

Following the discovery of Legionella pneumophila as the cause of an epidemic of pneumonia at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia, a group of related bacteria were recognized as additional human pathogens. This newly established bacterial genus, Legionella, includes the agents of Legionnaires' disease, Pittsburgh pneumonia, and several related infections. There are many similarities in the pathology of human infection caused by all the Legionella species. All produce a severe confluent lobular or lobar pneumonia, and abscess formation is not uncommon. A leukocytoclastic inflammatory infiltrate of neutrophils and macrophages, "septic" vasculitis of small blood vessels, coagulation necrosis, and focal septal disruption are characteristic but not diagnostic features. The inflammatory response is clearly that of a bacterial pneumonia with a necrotizing component, and does not resemble most mycoplasmal, chlamydial, or viral pneumonias. The bacteria can be demonstrated well by special stains. Acid fastness of Legionella micdadei, the cause of Pittsburgh pneumonia, is a helpful presumptive clue to diagnosis. The bacteria can be presumptively speciated in tissue by direct immunofluorescence. In addition, reliable recovery of the organisms on agar media now allows a specific diagnosis to be made. As a group, these infections are properly referred to as the Legionella pneumonias.
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PMID:The pathology of the Legionella pneumonias. A review of 74 cases and the literature. 616 29

Patients who develop bacterial pneumonia in the community often require admission to acute-care hospitals. Knowledge of the incidence of pneumonia due to different pathogens that are brought into an institution from the community may play a role in determining the patterns of infecting organisms responsible for hospital-acquired pneumonia. For 1 year, we prospectively reviewed the records of patients admitted to our 1000-bed community hospital with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). Patients had clinical signs and symptoms, positive radiologic findings, and pure cultures of potential pathogens from sputum, blood, pleural fluid, lung aspirate, lung biopsy, or transtracheal aspirate. Pneumonia due to Legionella pneumophila was diagnosed by serum indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) titer greater than or equal to 1:256 and clinical signs and symptoms along with response to erythromycin. Of 204 patients with bacterial pneumonia, the following pathogens were implicated: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus species, L. pneumophila, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, oral anaerobic bacteria, Psuedomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, and others. Most patients were more than 50 years of age and many had evidence of underlying pulmonary disease. The etiology of CABP may not be as predictable as in the past. Empiric antimicrobial therapy for CABP should include agents with activity against the pathogens prevalent in the community.
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PMID:Community-acquired bacterial pneumonia requiring admission to hospital. 634 27

The radiographic findings in the acute phase of Legionella pneumonia are generally non-specific and have been previously documented. A retrospective assessment of 12 patients with this bacterial pneumonia revealed that resolution of the radiographic findings was prolonged in five. The predominant feature in such patients is the transient finding of interstitial consolidation following the air-space consolidation, not unlike that of Mycoplasma or viral pneumonia. Eventual return to normal was evident in three patients and residual parenchymal fibrosis was noted in two patients.
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PMID:Radiographic analysis of the course of Legionella pneumonia. 688 81

The incidence of bacterial, viral, mycoplasma, and rickettsial infections has been assessed prospectively in 210 adult patients with pneumonia who presented to a district hospital over a six-year period. One hundred and thirteen infective agents were detected in 103 patients. The agent most frequently detected was Mycoplasma pneumoniae which accounted for 30 infections. A bacterial pathogen was found in 43 patients. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common of these (24 patients); Staphylococcus aureus (eight), Haemophilus influenzae (four), Klebsiella spp (three), and Legionella pneumophila (three) were all less common. Chlamydial or rickettsial infections (Psittacosis or Q fever) were detected in nine patients. Viral infections were found in 31 patients (22 influenza A, four influenza B, two parainfluenza, and three respiratory syncytial virus). There were 10 patients in whom more than one pathogen was identified. In 107 patients no pathogens could be identified. Seventy-five per cent of these patients had either received antibiotics before entering hospital, or were unable to produce any sputum for culture. The incidence of bacterial pneumonia has probably therefore been underestimated. Nevertheless this survey does emphasise the importance of M pneumoniae as a pathogen in patients with pneumonia presenting to hospital.
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PMID:Causes of pneumonia presenting to a district general hospital. 731 31

Familiarity with the natural history of common pneumonias is obligatory for the clinician to determine whether a specific case of pneumonia is resolving at the expected rate. To many clinicians, the term slowly resolving pneumonia conjures an association with underlying neoplasm and/or less common pathogens. In reality, host factors or common pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila are more likely responsible for delayed resolution. Familiarity with the pattern of resolution of pneumonias caused by these organisms should allow the clinician to follow such patients and avoid premature invasive evaluation. In contrast, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia species rarely result in slowly resolving pneumonia. Chronic bacterial pneumonia is an infectious syndrome that may present in the absence of systemic symptoms. The presentation is varied and may mimic neoplasm, interstitial lung disease, or chronic fungal or mycobacterial infection. Bacteria most commonly associated with chronic pneumonia include Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus, alpha-hemolytic streptococci (not S pneumoniae), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
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PMID:Infectious diseases that result in slowly resolving and chronic pneumonia. 837 74

Atypical pneumonia has been recognized for at least four decades as a clinical syndrome characterized by a less severe clinical course than typical bacterial pneumonia. It is caused by a variety of different organisms including Mycoplasma pneumoniae, chlamydiae, rickettsiae, viruses and Legionella pneumophila. Of the chlamydiae, TWAR-strain (Chlamydia pneumonia) is now considered the most important pathogen. Its prevalence in community-acquired pneumonia varies considerably depending on the cyclical nature of the disease, but also on the diagnostic methods applied. The first line therapy in community-acquired pneumonia is usually empirical administration of a penicillin or cephalosporin to cover the bacterial pathogens which usually cause 'typical' pneumonia, most importantly Streptococcus pneumoniae. If, however, atypical pneumonia is diagnosed by bacteriological or serological testing, or is suspected clinically or on the basis of treatment failure, the treatment of choice would be erythromycin 2-4 g or tetracyclines (doxycycline 200 mg) daily for M. pneumoniae pneumonia and C. pneumoniae (TWAR-strain) infection. For coxiella pneumonia tetracycline is preferred. Psittacosis (ornithosis) has a high mortality and must be treated with tetracyclines immediately. Legionella pneumonia is preferably treated with erythromycin 2-4 g for at least three weeks; as an alternative, tetracyclines or quinolones may be given. Quinolones are less effective in mycoplasma and chlamydial infection. The new macrolide antibiotics are promising agents in pneumonia due to M. pneumoniae, L. pneumophila and C. pneumoniae. Compared to erythromycin they have improved pharmacological properties. They have long half-lives allowing once-daily dosing and achieve high tissue and intracellular concentrations.
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PMID:The problems of treating atypical pneumonia. 847 2

In a double-blind, double-dummy, multicentre study the efficacy and safety of dirithromycin 500 mg/day given orally once daily for 10-14 days were compared with those of erythromycin 1000 mg/day given orally four times daily for 10-14 days in patients with bacterial pneumonia. At 3-5 days post-therapy, 90 dirithromycin- and 83 erythromycin-treated patients were evaluable; the main reason for non-evaluability was failure to isolate the causative organism. Symptomatic responses were favourable in 94.5% of dirithromycin- and 100% of erythromycin-treated patients at post-therapy. At late post-therapy (2-3 weeks after completion of treatment), symptomatic responses were favourable in 98.7% of dirithromycin- and 94.8% of erythromycin-treated patients. At post-therapy, 63.3% of dirithromycin- and 50.6% of erythromycin-treated patients were unable to be evaluated bacteriologically, mainly due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae or Legionella pneumophila being assessed serologically. In the remaining evaluable patients treated with dirithromycin and erythromycin, bacteriological responses were favourable in 91.4% and 87.8%, respectively. At late post-therapy, favourable bacteriological responses occurred in 89.7% and 86.8%, respectively, of dirithromycin- and erythromycin-treated patients. Abdominal pain was the only treatment-emergent event to occur significantly more frequently in dirithromycin-treated patients.
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PMID:Clinical efficacy of dirithromycin in pneumonia. 847 3

Spontaneous rupture of the spleen is a rare and life-threatening complication of bacterial pneumonia, only six properly documented cases having been reported to date. A case of spontaneous splenic rupture associated with pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila is presented, together with a review of the literature. Most of the patients were aged over 50, but none had predisposing conditions. Left lung involvement predominated. Legionellosis and Q fever were the most frequent etiologic diagnoses. Empiric antibiotic therapy was adequate in all but two patients. One patient died; he had not undergone laparotomy. Spontaneous rupture of the spleen is an extremely rare complication of bacterial pneumonia that endangers the patient's life if surgery is not performed immediately. This complication should be borne in mind in patients with atypical pneumonia who have left quadrant pain and a falling hematocrit, even in the absence of prior splenomegaly.
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PMID:Spontaneous rupture of the spleen associated with pneumonia. 892 73


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