Severe Pneumonia Caused by Legionella Pneumophila: Differential Diagnosis and Therapeutic Considerations

Overview

Journal Infect Dis Clin North Am

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2017 Feb 5

PMID 28159171

Citations 37

Authors

Abdullah Chahin

Steven M Opal

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Severe legionella pneumonia poses a diagnostic challenge and requires early intervention. Legionnaire's disease can have several presenting signs, symptoms, and laboratory abnormalities that suggest that Legionella pneumophila is the pathogen, but none of these are sufficient to distinguish L pneumophila pneumonia from other respiratory pathogens. L pneumophila is primarily an intracellular pathogen and needs treatment with antibiotics that efficiently enter the intracellular space.

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