A case report of a patient with community3acquired pneumonia caused by Legionellа pneumophila

Abstract

A clinical case of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by Legionellа pneumophila is described in the article. A 37-year-old male, a worker of a nuclear power station, was admitted with dry cough, dyspnea on light exertion, and fever. The disease onset was acute; the patient had been unsuccessfully treated with b-lactam antibiotics for 5 days before the admission. Two weeks before the disease onset, he had been to a neighbor region by business and stayed in a hotel. Non-severe bilateral CAP caused by Legionella was diagnosed using standard methods including Legionella rapid urine antigen test. Pneumonia was complicated by pleural exudate and moderate respiratory failure (class III according to PORT scale). Clinical particularities included diarrhea in the first day of the disease, elevated hepatic enzyme levels in blood, elevated blood urea, and hepatomegaly. Adequate specific therapy with levofloxacin and supplemental oxygen resulted in slow resolving of physical signs of pneumonia and pleuritis during 14 days with complete resolution of clinical symptoms and laboratory abnormalities and long-term maintenance of pulmonary infiltration.