Pneumonic and nonpneumonic forms of legionellosis. The result of a common-source exposure to Legionella pneumophila.
Two male maintenance workers contracted legionellosis while cleaning the interior of a cooling tower contaminated with Legionella pneumophila. In one man severe, life-threatening Legionnaires' disease developed, whereas the other experienced a comparatively mild, self-limiting illness that was consistent with previous descriptions of cases of Pontiac fever. This report represents the first documentation of the development of both of these syndromes following exposure to a common source of the organism. The implications of this observation for the pathogenetic mechanisms that underly the different clinical manifestations of legionellosis are discussed.
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007875:Legionella / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007877:Legionnaires' Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy / Q000635:transmission; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000635:transmission*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012121:Respiration, Artificial
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D010100:Oxygen