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Factors Related to Persistence of Legionella Urinary Antigen Excretion in Patients with Legionnaires' Disease

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Abstract.

The aim of this prospective study was to compare patient characteristics, clinical data, and evolution of Legionella pneumophila pneumonia according to the duration of Legionella urinary antigen excretion. Urine samples from 61 patients with Legionella pneumonia diagnosed by detection of urinary antigen were obtained periodically until urinary antigen could no longer be detected. Cases were divided into two groups based on the duration of urinary antigen excretion: group I (46 patients, <60 days) and group II (15 patients, ≥60 days). Groups were compared for patient characteristics, clinical data, and evolution of pneumonia. Antigen excretion ≥60 days was observed significantly more frequently in immunosuppressed patients (P=0.001) in whom the time to apyrexia was >72 h (P=0.002), although only the time to apyrexia remained significant on multivariate analysis (P=0.006). In conclusion, the duration of Legionella urinary antigen excretion was <60 days in most patients but was longer in immunosuppressed patients with a longer time to defervescence of fever.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Infectious Diseases Unit. Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, C/Canyet s/n, Badalona (Barcelona) CP 08916, Spain

    N. Sopena, M. Sabrià, M. L. Pedro-Botet, E. Reynaga & M. García-Núñez

  2. Department of Microbiology, University Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, C/Canyet s/n, Badalona (Barcelona) CP 08916, Spain

    J. Domínguez & L. Matas

Authors
  1. N. Sopena
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  2. M. Sabrià
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  3. M. L. Pedro-Botet
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  4. E. Reynaga
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  5. M. García-Núñez
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  6. J. Domínguez
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  7. L. Matas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Sabrià.

Additional information

This article was presented in part at the 39th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, San Francisco, September 1999.

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Sopena, N., Sabrià, M., Pedro-Botet, M.L. et al. Factors Related to Persistence of Legionella Urinary Antigen Excretion in Patients with Legionnaires' Disease. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 21, 845–848 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-002-0839-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-002-0839-5

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