Community-acquired pneumonia caused by Legionella longbeachae in an immunocompetent patient.
Reported here is the case of a previously healthy 67-year-old man who was admitted to the intensive care unit with pneumonia caused by Legionella longbeachae. The organism was identified in sputum and serum by 16S rRNA-based PCR assay and sequence-based typing. One acute serum sample produced a single elevated IgM antibody titer of 1:512 against non-pneumophila Legionella spp. The patient fully recovered following the initiation of appropriate antibiotic treatment. Since most current laboratory tests for Legionella spp. cannot detect infections caused by non-pneumophila Legionella spp., culture on Legionella-selective media or PCR should be considered when diagnosing severe pneumonia of unknown etiology.
Diederen
B M W
BM
Laboratory of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, St. Elisabeth Hospital, P.O. Box 747, 5000, AS Tilburg, The Netherlands. b.diederen@elisabeth.nl
van Zwet
A A
AA
van der Zee
A
A
Peeters
M F
MF
D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D044128:Legionella longbeachae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007876:Legionellosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology