Legionnaires' disease during induction of remission chemotherapy for acute nonlymphocytic leukemia

Two patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) who developed neutropenia, bilateral lung infiltrates, and did not respond to conventional antibiotic therapy nor amphotericin B are described. Clinical awareness and suspicion of Legionnaires' disease (LD) and early administration of erythromycin lead to their cure before the diagnosis of LD was confirmed.