Legionnaire's disease

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Legionnaires' disease organism, legionella

Overview Symptoms Treatment Prevention

Legionnaire's disease

• Muscle aches and stiffness
• Joint pain
• Loss of energy
• General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
• Headache
• Fever
• Shaking chills
• Nonproductive cough
• Coughing of blood
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Diarrhea
• Ataxia (lack of coordination)

• Listening to the chest with a stethoscope reveals fine crackles.
• Sputum direct fluorescent antibody staining shows Legionella.
• The causative organism may be cultured from the airway.
• Urine tests for the bacteria (urine antigen test) may be positive.
• Chest X-ray shows pneumonia.
• Arterial blood gas analysis may show low concentrations of oxygen.
• CBC shows an increased white blood cell count.
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate is increased.
• Low serum sodium.
• Liver function tests may show moderate elevation.

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