Legionnaires' disease in Johannesburg.
Legionnaires' disease (LD) was first identified as an epidemic pneumonia occurring in the USA in 1976. Sporadic cases have since been identified in many countries. This report describes the first 2 cases in South Africa of LD with pneumonia in patients in whom the diagnosis was established by the finding in early acute and follow-up convalescent sera of a greater than fourfold rise in titre with the immunofluorescent antibody test. The microbiological investigations are discussed in some detail and the clinical, radiological and laboratory features of LD are briefly reviewed.
D003168:Complement Fixation Tests; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007877:Legionnaires' Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013019:South Africa