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Legionnaires' Disease

Prevention

Since the bacteria thrive in warm stagnant water, regularly disinfecting ductwork, pipes, and other areas that may serve as breeding areas is the best method for preventing outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease. Most outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease can be traced to specific points of exposure, such as hospitals, hotels, and other places where people gather. Sporadic cases are harder to determine and there is insufficient evidence to point to exposure in individual homes.

Resources

Books

Edelstein, Paul H., and Richard D. Meyer. "Legionella Pneumonias." In Respiratory Infections: Diagnosis and Management. 3rd ed. James E. Pennington, ed. New York: Raven Press, Ltd., 1994.

Johnson, Caroline C., and Sydney M. Finegold. "Pyogenic Bacterial Pneumonia, Lung Abscess, and Empyema." In Volume 1: Textbook of Respiratory Medicine. 2nd ed., John F. Murray and Jay A. Nadel, eds. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 1994.

Koch, A.L. Bacterial Growth and Form. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001.

Periodicals

Rossier, O., and N.P. Cianciotto. "Type II Protein Secretion is a Subset of the PilD-dependent Processes that Promote Infection by Legionella pneumophila." Infection and Immunity 68 (2001): 2092-2098.

Shuman, H.A., M. Purcell, G. Segal, L. Hales, and L.A. Wiater. "Intracellular Multiplication of Legionella pneumophila: Human Pathogen of Accidental Tourist?" Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology 225 (1998): 99.

Stout, Janet E., and Victor L. Yu. "Legionellosis," The New England Journal of Medicine 337 (September 4, 1997): 682.


Julia Barrett

KEY TERMS

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Antibody

—A molecule created by the immune system in response to the presence of an antigen (a foreign substance or particle). It marks foreign microorganisms in the body for destruction by other immune cells.

Antigen

—A molecule, usually a protein, that the body identifies as foreign and toward which it directs an immune response.

Culture

—A means of growing bacteria and viruses in a flask or on a plate. The culture medium usually is agar, a form of gelatin, that may be enriched with broth or blood.

DNA probe

—An agent that binds directly to a predefined sequence of nucleic acids.

Immunocompromised

—A condition in which the immune system is not functioning properly and cannot adequately protect the body from infection.

Immunoglobulin

—The protein molecule that serves as the primary building block of antibodies.

Immunosuppressive therapy

—Medical treatment in which the immune system is purposefully thwarted. Such treatment is necessary, for example, to prevent organ rejection in transplant cases.

Legionellosis

—A disease caused by infection with a Legionella bacterium.

Media

—Substance which contains all the nutrients necessary for bacteria to grow in a culture.

Phagocytosis

—The "ingestion" of a piece of matter by a cell.

Additional topics

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