Legionella Pneumpohila Case Study

1. The organism that is the cause of this patient’s illness is Legionella pneumpohila, which means the patient has Legionnaire’s disease. Although there are other organisms that can cause similar diseases, it is clear that Legionella pneumpohila is the organism responsible for this patient’s disease. There are several reasons, but the one that stands out the most is that this organism can only grow on buffered charcoal-yeast extract, which is why there was no growth present on the 5% sheep blood agar. Other contributing factors which make it well-defined that this organism is the agent of disease are that the symptoms the patient had go along with what was exactly listed for the disease as well as the fact that Legionella pneumpohila often …show more content…
The best diagnostic method is culture on a selective charcoal-yeast extract medium. Respiratory specimens can be assessed by fluorescent-antibody methods and a DNA probe test. Erythromycin and other macrolide antibiotics, such as azithromycin, are the drugs of choice for treatment. Erythromycin’s mode of action is the inhibition of protein synthesis, by obstructing the tunnel. However, erythromycin is not able to enter the cell walls of most gram-negative bacilli. Its range of activity is therefore comparable to that of penicillin G and it is a common substitute drug to penicillin. There are factors that should be put into consideration when prescribing an antimicrobial to fight this organism. First there could be possible side effects to the antimicrobial and it is important to know what they may be. Patients may develop severe pneumonia, which is not receptive to antibiotic treatment with penicillin or aminoglycosides. This organism also has the ability to extent into the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. Accordingly, patients with progressive infections may experience diarrhea, nausea, and confusion. This is important to know in case the therapy is not effective. Another factor to consider is the concern over possible person-to-person transmission. Although in most outbreaks where a source has been recognized, water has been involved. Person-to-person transmission has not been credibly acknowledged. Therefore, I would discourage exclusive or …show more content…
There have been more than one outbreaks of Legionnaire’s disease in the news recently. One of which happened in New York over July and August, where one hundred and thirteen people contracted the disease and twelve of those cases were deadly. New York put cleaning and containment into overdrive as health officials worked to eliminate the potentially lethal legionella bacteria in the cooling towers of a residential complex in the south Bronx. New city regulations were made during this epidemic. It is now made sure all cooling towers are registered to the city, that regular testing and cleaning are now mandatory, as well as the building owners are now required to have the cooling towers inspected periodically and get an annual certification. An even more recent outbreak of Legionnaire’s is happening right now in Illinois. As of last Thursday, fifty-four from the Illinois Veterans' Home-Quincy have tested positive for Legionnaires' disease. The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs says that count includes twelve resident deaths and one non-resident death. The state Department of Veterans' Affairs reported the thirteenth fatality from the illness. Twelve of those who have died from Legionnaires since August in the Mississippi River city lived at the one hundred and twenty nine year old state veterans' home. Dozens more have been sickened by the bacteria, including five workers. Public health officials say four other cases of Legionnaires' disease in Quincy, including the