[Legionella pneumonia--a case report]

Legionella, as a cause of community-acquired pneumonia, is probably under-recognized because the diagnosis relies on the use of specific tests as well the existence of an in-numerous species and serogroups not easily identify by the tests available. In studies from Europe and North America, it ranged from 2 to 15 percent of all community-acquired pneumonias that required hospitalisation, in the first four causes when culture methods were done and the second cause of those admitted in the intensive care units. We do a case report of 43 year-old man with history of cigarette smoking and corticosteroid therapy for a ocular disease, that presents with a pneumonia complicated with a Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), that leaded to his admission to an intensive care unit were he was mechanical ventilated. The epidemiological investigation identified Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1. The authors present this case doing a brief review of this disease and discussing the epidemiology, clinical features, laboratory diagnosis as well as therapeutic options.