Legionnaires’ disease: Protecting the public

The first known case of Legionnaires’ disease has been reported recently in an 82-year-old woman in Italy stemming from an infected water line in a dental practice. In the UK thus far, there have never been any cases of Legionnaires’ disease tracked to contaminated dental surgery equipment. It has been reported by Ricci et al (2012) that the patient presented with pyrexia and respiratory distress, the woman was conscious and responsive with no underlying disease and was admitted to the intensive care unit. Assessment of chest x-ray revealed multiple areas of lung consolidation, bronchial aspirate was taken for microbiological examination. A Legionella pneumophila urinary antigen test provided a diagnosis of Legionnaires’ disease (see Figure 1), the woman was prescribed ciprofloxacin 12 hourly. Despite therapeutic interventions the woman died two days later after having developed rapid and irreversible septic shock. The diagnosis prompted an investigation to discover the source of the infection.