Legionnaires’ disease susceptibility

Hawn, T.R., et al., A common dominant TLR5 stop codon polymorphism abolishes flagellin signaling and is associated with susceptibility to legionnaires disease, J. Exp. Med. 198, 10, 1563, 2003. 

Legionnaires disease is frequently characterized as an opportunistic disease, meaning that it most frequently attacks individuals who have an underlying illness or a weakened immune system. The most susceptible people include the aged, smokers, and immunosuppressed individuals. People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, organ transplant patients, and individuals on corticosteroid therapy are also at elevated risk. 

Streptococcus pneumoniae remains the commonest cause of pneumonia and still responds well to penicillin despite a global increase in isolates showing reduced susceptibility to this agent. In addition, a number of atypical infections may cause pneumonia and include Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, psittacosis and occasionally Q fever. With psittacosis there may be a history of contact with parrots or budgerigars while Legionnaires disease has often been acquired during hotel holidays in the Mediterranean area. The... 

Oral/IV use for treatment of infections of the respiratory tract, skin and skin structure, and STDs caused by susceptible organisms treatment of pertussis, diphtheria, erythrasima, intestinal amebiasis, conjunctivitis of the newborn, Legionnaires disease, listeriosis, nongonococcal urethritis, pneumonia of infancy, urogenital infections during pregnancy treatment of acute pelvic inflammatory disease, syphilis, uncomplicated urethral, endocervical, or rectal infections in adults prevention of attacks of rheumatic fever prevention of bacterial endocarditis. 

Guinea pigs alveolar macrophages after 14 days exposure to rutile (23 7.3 mg/m for 20 h/d) contained TiO particles in phagolysosomes (Basker-viLLE et al. 1988). The macrophage blockade by TiO did not alter the animals susceptibility to Legionnaires disease nor increase mortality. 

---