A fatal case of Legionnaires' disease in an immunocompromised patient

A 65-year-old woman presented with an autoimmune hemolytic anemia and was subsequently diagnosed as having malignant lymphoma. Cytotoxic chemotherapy was followed by the development of fatal Legionnaires' disease, confirmed by isolation of L. pneumophila serogroup 6 from pleural and lung aspirate specimens. This is believed to be the first reported isolation of serogroup 6 L. pneumophila in Australia.