Abstract
Healthcare-associated Legionnaires’ disease (HCA LD) causes significant morbidity and mortality, with varying guidance on prevention. We describe the evaluation of a case of possible HCA LD and note the pitfalls of relying solely on an epidemiologic definition for association of a case with a facility. Our detailed investigation led to the identification of a new Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 sequence type, confirmed a healthcare association and helped build the framework for our ongoing preventive efforts. Our experience highlights the role of routine environmental cultures in the assessment of risk for a given facility. As clinicians increasingly rely on urinary antigen testing for the detection of L. pneumophila, our investigation emphasises the importance of clinical cultures in an epidemiologic investigation.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 307-310 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Infection Prevention |
Volume | 18 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 1 2017 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Legionella
- epidemiology
- healthcare-associated infections
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health Policy
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Advanced and Specialized Nursing
- Infectious Diseases