Residential water supply as a likely cause of community-acquired Legionnaires' disease in an immunocompromised host

• Published in: European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases 2002-10, Vol.21 (10), p.706-709
• Main Authors: CHEN, Y-S, LIN, W-R, HUANG, C-K, CHIN, C, LIN, Y-S. E, YEN, M-Y, LIU, Y-C, CHANG, C-L, GAN, V-L, HUANG, W-K, HUANG, T-S, WANN, S-R, LIN, H-H, LEE, S. S-J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Bacterial diseases; Bacterial diseases of the respiratory system; Biological and medical sciences; China; Community-Acquired Infections - diagnosis; Community-Acquired Infections - etiology; Community-Acquired Infections - immunology; Corticoids; DNA, Bacterial - analysis; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Follow-Up Studies; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Infectious diseases; Legionella pneumophila; Legionella pneumophila - isolation & purification; Legionnaire's disease; Legionnaires' Disease - diagnosis; Legionnaires' Disease - immunology; Male; Medical sciences; Myelodysplastic Syndromes - immunology; Public health; Radiography, Thoracic; Risk Assessment; Sweet Syndrome - immunology; Water Microbiology; Water Supply
• ISSN: 0934-9723; 1435-4373
• DOI: 10.1007/s10096-002-0815-0

A 69-year-old man with Sweet's syndrome and myelodysplastic syndrome presented with pneumonia and respiratory distress. He had been taking corticosteroids and methotrexate. The diagnosis of Legionnaires' disease was established by the isolation of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 6 from sputum and a fourfold seroconversion of Legionella antibodies to 1:512. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 6 was isolated from faucets in two homes owned by the patient. Strains of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 6 isolated from the patient's sputum and from one home were demonstrated to be genetically identical by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis but different from strains found in the other home and in a hospital outpatient clinic that he visited. This case illustrates an emerging public health issue concerning acquisition of community-acquired Legionnaires' disease from the homes of immunocompromised hosts. This is the first such case reported in Asia.