Ocular and pericardial involvement in Legionnaires' disease

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Cardiology
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Legionnaires' disease, a bacterial pneumonia, typically presents with respiratory symptoms.
• Extrapulmonary manifestations of Legionnaires' disease are uncommon but can affect various organ systems.
• Pericardial involvement in Legionnaires' disease is exceptionally rare, with only a few prior case reports.

Observation:

• A patient presented with concurrent pericardial effusion and ocular inflammation alongside Legionnaires' disease.
• This specific combination of pericardial and ocular involvement in Legionnaires' disease has not been previously documented.
• The patient's condition was managed with intravenous erythromycin therapy.

Findings:

• Successful resolution of the pericardial effusion was observed following treatment.
• Ophthalmologic findings associated with the infection also showed significant improvement.
• Intravenous erythromycin proved effective in managing the extrapulmonary complications.

Implications:

• This case expands the known spectrum of extrapulmonary manifestations of Legionnaires' disease.
• It highlights the importance of considering cardiac and ocular involvement in atypical presentations.
• Intravenous erythromycin is a viable treatment option for these rare complications.