[Atypical pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila. Report of a second case in Mexico]

Abstract

An outbreak of pneumonia that caused 34 deaths among 221 legionnaires was reported in 1977 at the American Legion Convention in Philadelphia. The causative agent was eventually recognized and named Legionella pneumophila. Legionellosis is a worldwide disease, but in Mexico there is only one report of Legionnaires' disease, possibly because it is not thought of as a cause of community-acquired pneumonia. We report a previously healthy patient who required admittance to our ICU with community-acquired Legionnaires' disease.