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Humidifier-associated paediatric Legionnaires' disease, Israel, February 2012

J Moran-Gilad1, T Lazarovitch, M Mentasti

  • 1Division of Epidemiology, Public Health Services, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel. giladko@014.net.il

Euro Surveillance : Bulletin Europeen Sur Les Maladies Transmissibles = European Communicable Disease Bulletin
|October 20, 2012
PubMed

Insights

A fatal case of Legionnaires' disease in an infant was linked to a contaminated humidifier. This highlights the risk of humidifier-associated Legionnaires' disease and the utility of sequence-based typing (SBT) in investigations.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Legionnaires' disease is a severe pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria.
  • Community-acquired Legionnaires' disease (CALD) typically affects older adults, with cases in infants being rare.
  • Contaminated water sources, particularly aerosol-generating devices, are common sources of Legionella transmission.

Observation:

  • A fatal case of community-acquired Legionnaires' disease occurred in an infant under six months old.
  • The infection was traced to a free-standing cold water humidifier.
  • The humidifier used domestic tap water contaminated with Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1.

Findings:

  • Epidemiological and microbiological data strongly implicated the humidifier as the source of infection.
  • Sequence-based typing (SBT) confirmed the link between the clinical isolate and the environmental source.
  • This case demonstrates humidifier-associated Legionnaires' disease transmission.

Implications:

  • Appropriate control measures for domestic humidifiers are crucial for preventing Legionnaires' disease.
  • Sequence-based typing (SBT) is an emerging and valuable tool for investigating legionellosis outbreaks.
  • This case underscores the importance of considering environmental sources in pediatric infectious disease investigations.

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