title: Legionnaires' disease in an immunocompetent young adult.
abstract: Infection with Legionella pneumophila (LP) is a rare cause of pneumonia in previously healthy young adults. Pleural effusion is relatively common in Legionnaires' disease but is usually clinically insignificant. Herein we describe an immunocompetent, 19-year-old female with LP respiratory infection that presented with pleural effusion and mild interstitial infiltrates in the lower lungs. She received 3 weeks' treatment with erythromycin and rifampin and recovered completely. Diagnosis was based on serology testing with a four-fold rise of the antibody titer in the acute and convalescent phase. Legionnaires' disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of culture-negative pleural effusion in immunocompetent young adults.
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Y S
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Wann
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Yen
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007877:Legionnaires' Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000209:etiology