Legionnaires' disease

Introduction: Legionnaires' disease

Legionnaires' disease: Legionnaires' disease, which is also known as Legionellosis, is a form of pneumonia. It is often called Legionnaires' disease because the first known ... more about Legionnaires' disease.

Legionnaires' disease: A severe respiratory disease which is caused by the Legionella pneumophila bacteria. The condition can result in pneumonia and can be life-threatening. More detailed information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of Legionnaires' disease is available below.

Symptoms of Legionnaires' disease

• No symptoms - many people are not affected by the disease
• Flu-like symptoms
• Fever
• Chills
• Productive or non-productive cough

See full list of 49 symptoms of Legionnaires' disease

Medical Textbooks Online about Legionnaires' disease

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic Tests for Legionnaires' disease

• Sputum culture
• Blood antibody test

Read more about tests for Legionnaires' disease

Wrongly Diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease?

• Misdiagnosis of Legionnaires' disease

Causes of Legionnaires' disease

Read more about causes of Legionnaires' disease.

More information about causes of Legionnaires' disease:

• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Legionnaires' disease

Treatments for Legionnaires' disease

• Hospitalization
• Antibiotics
• Intravenous antibiotics
• Erythromycin
• Erythromycin and rifampin - for immunocompromised patients

See full list of 11 treatments for Legionnaires' disease

Videos for Legionnaires' disease

Patient Surveys for Legionnaires' disease

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Legionnaires' disease
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for Legionnaires' disease

Prognosis for Legionnaires' disease: Although Legionnaires' disease has a mortality rate of 5 to 15 percent, many people may be infected with the bacterium that causes the disease, yet not develop any symptoms. (Source: excerpt from Legionnaires' Disease: NIEHS_1)

More about prognosis of Legionnaires' disease

Statistics for Legionnaires' disease

• Medical statistics for Legionnaires' disease
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Legionnaires' disease
• Death and Mortality statistics for Legionnaires' disease
• Society statistics for Legionnaires' disease

Types of Legionnaires' disease

• Pontiac fever - milder form of legionellosis

Read more about Types of Legionnaires' disease

Stories from Users Related to Legionnaires' disease

Related forums and stories:

• Infectious Diseases (173)
  • small pink spots on penis
  • very high titers
  • MAC-do not have aids
  • Lymes-like symptoms. Could someone please help me?
  • Life after Alpha Strep/Strep Viridans
  • More user stories

User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Legionnaires' disease, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Legionnaires' disease

Legionnaires' Disease: NIEHS_1 (Excerpt)

Legionnaires' disease, which is also known as Legionellosis, is a form of pneumonia. It is often called Legionnaires' disease because the first known outbreak occurred in the Bellevue Stratford Hotel that was hosting a convention of the Pennsylvania Department of the American Legion. In that outbreak, approximately 221 people contracted this previously unknown type of bacterial pneumonia, and 34 people died. The source of the bacterium was found to be contaminated water used to cool the air in the hotel's air conditioning system. (Source: excerpt from Legionnaires' Disease: NIEHS_1)

Legionellosis (General): DBMD (Excerpt)

Legionellosis is an infection caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila. The disease has two distinct forms:

• Legionnaires' disease, the more severe form of infection which includes pneumonia, and
• Pontiac fever, a milder illness.

Legionnaires' disease acquired its name in 1976 when an outbreak of pneumonia occurred among persons attending a convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia. Later, the bacterium causing the illness was named Legionella. (Source: excerpt from Legionellosis (General): DBMD)

Definitions of Legionnaires' disease:

A species of gram-negative, aerobic bacteria that is the causative agent of LEGIONNAIRES' DISEASE. It has been isolated from numerous environmental sites as well as from human lung tissue, respiratory secretions, and blood. - (Source - Diseases Database)

Acute (sometimes fatal) lobar pneumonia caused by bacteria of a kind first recognized after an outbreak of the disease at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia in 1976; characterized by fever and muscle and chest pain and headache and chills and a dry cough - (Source - WordNet 2.1)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Legionnaires' disease as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet