An immune adherence hemagglutination (IAHA) test for the measurement of antibodies to Legionella pneumophila was developed and evaluated for the diagnosis of Legionnaires disease. Its sensitivity was compared to that of the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test and a recently developed indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test. The sensitivity of the three tests appeared to be similar, with the I...

Legionnaires' disease is an acute bacterial infection, generally sustained by Legionella pneumophila, which involves primarily the lower respiratory tract, although it is often associated with multi-systemic extrapulmonary manifestations. Afflicted patients may sometimes have gastrointestinal symptoms, liver function abnormalities, renal failure or central nervous system complications, while cu...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Hospital-acquired Legionnaires' disease is being increasingly discovered with the advent of rapid diagnostic techniques. This review examines both the clinical and political aspects of this important problem. RECENT FINDINGS New sources are being recognized, including the water supply of pediatric hospitals, long-term care facilities, and rehabilitation centers. Concern by t...

An enzyme-linked immunospecific assay "sandwich" technique was developed for detecting soluble antigen from the Legionnaires disease bacterium (Legionella pneumophila). With this technique, antigen was detected in urine specimens from guinea pigs inoculated intraperitoneally with heat-killed Legionnaires disease bacteria and in urine specimens from three of four patients who attended the Americ...

From the Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Address reprint requests to Victor L. Yu, MD, Infectious Disease Section, VA Medical Center, University Drive C, Pittsburgh, PA 15240. 98-ED-138. Yu VL. Resolving the controversy on environmental cultures for Legionella: a modest proposal. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1998;19:893-897. The two rigo...

Legionnaires' disease is increasingly recognised as a cause of community acquired pneumonia.' Although there are no controlled trials of antimicrobial chemotherapy in legionnaires' disease, an early bacteriological diagnosis will confirm the need for treatment directed at Legionella or will redirect treatment should another pathogen be isolated. Serological tests provide only a retrospective di...

The sensitivity of an indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and a rapid microagglutination test (RMAT) for the diagnosis of Legionnaires' disease caused by Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was evaluated using serum specimens from 119 patients with bacteriologically confirmed infections. The sensitivity of both assays was found to be about 80%. In addition, antibody titres suggestiv...

Cerebral and cerebellar symptoms are frequently associated with Legionnaires' disease. However, corresponding brain lesions are difficult to demonstrate using either computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We report here two patients with Legionella pneumophila pneumonia accompanied by prolonged neurologic symptoms. In contrast to brain CT and MRI, which failed to detect a...

Since 18 August 2011, 17 cases of travel-associated Legionnaires' disease have been reported. They were tourists from five European countries who had stayed in five accommodation sites in Lazise, Italy. The dates of symptom onset ranged from 18 July to 25 August 2011. Control measures were implemented and no further cases associated with stays at the sites have been reported after disinfection....