Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023241 (Legionella)
 6,990 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The most important lower respiratory infection is pneumonia, the fourth leading cause of death. Most cases of bronchitis are of viral etiology and are not major problems. Empyema can present an important problem in management. Although the diagnosis of pneumonia is usually relatively straightforward, the specific etiologic diagnosis remains a major problem. Availability of empyema fluid or a positive blood culture result can be helpful in making the etiologic diagnosis, but these are unavailable in most patients. Screening of sputum Gram stains under 100 X magnification is very important; there should be fewer than 10 squamous epithelial cells, more than 25 polymorphonuclear leukocytes, or both per field of this size. The major causes of pneumonia are Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, anaerobic bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, various gram-negative aerobic or facultative bacilli and Legionella. However, many other organisms are capable of causing pneumonia, even in the immunocompetent host. Further adding to the problem is the fact that a number of different organisms are manifesting increasing resistance to antimicrobial agents. Our study with ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid included seven patients with pneumonia, one with empyema, and one with purulent tracheobronchitis. Organisms recovered from pleural fluid, transtracheal aspiration and sputum or tracheostomy aspirate included multiple anaerobes, pneumococci, S. aureus, Hemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, K. ozaenae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter, Enterobacter cloacae, Proteus mirabilis, beta-hemolytic streptococci, Neisseria meningitidis and Branhamella catarrhalis. Several of the organisms were ticarcillin resistant. Eight of the patients had cures and the other patient showed improvement. Only minor side-effects were encountered--Coombs' positivity (without hemolysis), eosinophilia, drug fever and one case of questionable neutropenia.
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PMID:Lower respiratory tract infection. 407 97

A clinical, retrospective and non-comparative study was undertaken to assess the clinical efficacy and tolerability of azithromycin in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila. A total of 16 patients with a serologically confirmed diagnosis of Legionnaires' diseases were included. Azithromycin was administered orally at a total dose of 1.5 g for either 3 or 5 days. All patients were no side-effects requiring discontinuation of the treatment. Further increase of abnormal baseline liver function was recorded in 2 patients and in 1 patient mild, transient eosinophilia. Equal clinical efficacy and tolerability were observed with the 3- and 5-day dosage regimen. These results indicate that azithromycin given at a standard dose of 1.5 g is effective and well tolerated in the treatment of Legionnaires' disease.
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PMID:Azithromycin for treatment of community acquired pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila: a retrospective study. 858 43

After 2 weeks' treatment with sulfasalazine (SASP) and mesalazine enema, a 32-year-old female with recently diagnosed ulcerative colitis developed bilateral pulmonary infiltrates with peripheral eosinophilia. Both drugs were discontinued. In view of a high-positive antibody titre (1:4096) against Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1-5, legionnaires' disease was assumed and empirical antilegionella therapy with macrolid antibiotic was started. The patient's condition improved within days. Three months later SASP was given again in view of exacerbation of the inflammatory bowel disease. Three days after initiation of therapy acute pulmonary symptoms again developed with bilateral, confluent opacities and blood eosinophilia. The abnormalities resolved completely after the drug was discontinued and prophylactic antibiotic therapy was given. Peripheral lung infiltrates with blood eosinophilia are a rare side effect of SASP therapy. The prognosis of the illness after the drug has been discontinued is generally good, usually with complete recovery of pulmonary function. The risk factors for sulfasalazine pulmonary toxicity are not well known. We describe the first case of SASP-induced hypersensitivity lung disease with simultaneous Legionella pneumophila infection.
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PMID:[Sulfasalazine-induced pulmonary infiltrates and Legionella pneumonia]. 1097 41

Respiratory infections are responsible for up to 11% of febrile infections in travellers or immigrants from tropical and subtropical regions. The main pathogens are the same as in temperate climate zones: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, influenza viruses, Legionella pneumophila. However, some pulmonary diseases can be attributed to bacterial, parasitic, viral or fungal pathogens that are endemic in tropical and subtropical regions. The most commonly imported infections are malaria, dengue, and tuberculosis. Pulmonary symptoms and eosinophilia in returning travellers and migrants may be caused by several parasitic infections such as Katayama syndrome, Loeffler syndrome, tropical pulmonary eosinophilia, amebiasis, paragonimiasis, echinococcosis, and toxocariasis. In Asia, Tsutsugamushi fever is transmitted by chiggers, spotted fever rickettsiae are transmitted by ticks. Transmission of zoonotic diseases occurs mainly via contact with infected animals or their excretions, human-to-human transmission is generally rare: MERS-CoA (dromedary camels), pulmonary hantavirus infection (rodents), tularemia (rabbits and hares), leptospirosis (rats), Q-fever (sheep and goats), very rarely anthrax (hides of ruminants) and pest (infected rats and wildlife). Inhalation of contaminated dust can cause infections with dimorphic fungi: histoplasmosis (bat guano) and coccidioidomycosis in America and parts of Africa, blastomycosis in America. Some infections can cause symptoms years after a stay in tropical or subtropical regions (melioidosis, tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, schistosomiasis-associated pulmonary hypertension). Noninfectious respiratory diseases caused by inhalation of high amounts of air pollution or toxic dusts may also be considered.
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PMID:[Travel-associated pneumonias]. 2529 Sep 23