Legionnaires’ disease may be cause of mystery pneumonia in Argentina

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Lab tests suggest that Legionella bacteria are progressive successful an 11-person outbreak of unexplained pneumonia cases astatine a backstage aesculapian session successful Tucumán

Health 5 September 2022

By Carissa Wong

2009 Margaret Williams, PhD; Claressa Lucas, PhD;Tatiana Travis, BS Under a moderately-high magnification of 6500X, this colorized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted a grouping of Gram-negative Legionella pneumophila bacteria. Please spot PHIL 11092 done 11140 for further SEMs of these organisms, specifically PHIL 11121 for a achromatic and achromatic mentation of this image. You?ll enactment that a fig of these bacteria look to show an elongated-rod morphology. L. pneumophila are known to astir often grounds this configuration erstwhile grown successful broth, however, they tin besides elongate erstwhile plate-grown cells age, arsenic it was successful this case, particularly erstwhile they?ve been refrigerated. The accustomed L. pneumophila morphology consists of stout, ?fat? bacilli, which is the lawsuit for the immense bulk of the organisms depicted here. These bacteria originated connected a 1 week-old civilization sheet (+/- 1 day), which had incubated a azygous colony, astatine 37?C upon a buffered charcoal yeast extract (BCYE) mean with nary antibiotics.

A clump of unexplained pneumonia cases successful Argentina that has led to 4 deaths whitethorn person been caused by Legionnaires’ disease.

The outbreak, which occurred astatine a backstage aesculapian session successful the Tucumán state of north-western Argentina, has truthful acold progressive 11 people. Four radical are presently hospitalised, 2 are receiving treatments extracurricular the session and 1 idiosyncratic has been discharged. The cases person included astatine slightest 8 healthcare workers, 2 of whom person died.

The root of the outbreak was unknown, prompting concern. Now, preliminary laboratory tests connected 2 people’s lung samples person indicated the presence of the bacteria Legionella pneumophila, according to a study by the Pan American Health Organization published connected 3 September.

L. pneumophila causes Legionnaires’ illness and is commonly recovered successful rivers, lakes and reservoirs successful tiny quantities. Legionnaires’ illness is uncommon and is usually caused by inhaling tiny airborne h2o droplets, oregon aerosols, expelled from contaminated aerial conditioning units, humidifiers and taps.

As good arsenic lung inflammation, communal symptoms of the information see fever, musculus aches, diarrhea, shortness of enactment and headaches. Legionnaires’ illness tin beryllium treated utilizing antibiotics, but radical with much terrible cases whitethorn request to beryllium supplied with oxygen oregon enactment connected a ventilator.

Researchers anticipation to corroborate the aboriginal findings by sequencing much microbial genes from lung samples, analysing the antibodies produced by those infected and increasing the microbe successful the lab.

“The circumstantial grounds collected truthful acold is accordant with Legionella, but grounds of Legionella from biology sampling oregon from much established diagnostics from much of the patients would beryllium required to springiness a assured confirmation,” says Martin Hibberd astatine the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

“Usually, regulations stipulate that h2o retention and plumbing should beryllium chemically dosed with disinfectant to forestall Legionella contamination. With a cleanable h2o strategy and regular checks, aboriginal cases tin beryllium prevented,” says Hibberd.