[Legionnaires' disease with digestive tract lesions. One case]

In the case reported pulmonary Legionella infection was diagnosed by sputum cultures even though immunofluorescence tests were negative. The patient had positive Coomb's test due to circulating auto-antibodies which disappeared after he recovered. The course of the disease was prolonged by perforation of the coecum requiring excision of the colon and terminal ileostomy. Erythromycin had to be given intravenously. Pathological examination of the digestive tract lesions showed inflammatory colitis with presence of Legionella pneumophilia which seemed to have been responsible for the complication. This is the first time a digestive lesion caused by this organism is described, adding yet another extrapulmonary visceral involvement to those already reported and suggesting that Legionella may spread throughout the body.