2007 Volume 21 Issue 5 Pages 696-700
A 76-year-old man underwent a left upper lobectomy and lymph node dissection for lung cancer in our hospital. His postoperative course was uneventful until postoperative day (POD) 3, but severe dyspnea occurred suddenly on POD4 and continued in spite of treatment with oxygen and antibiotics. The patient was supported with a mechanical ventilator in an intensive care unit. L. pneumophila serogroup 1 (SG1) antigen in the urine was tested, and the urine antibody titer was elevated, suggesting pneumonia caused by L. pneumophila SG1. The patient recovered with ciprofloxacin treatment and was discharged on POD44. No source of infection was identified in the hospital unit. Legionella pneumonia developed on the 9th hospital day (POD4). The incubation period of legionella's disease has been reported to be between 1 and 2 weeks. Thus, pneumonia was due to L. pneumophila SG1, which was probably acquired from the patient's home before admission.
