抄録
Legionnaires’ disease is an infection that develops by inhalation of bacteria contained in aerosols and that can cause localized outbreaks. Herein, we report two cases of Legionnaires’ disease associated with a heavy rainfall disaster in Sakura City, Chiba, Japan. Case 1 developed Legionnaires’ disease after walking in a flooded road. There was no obvious cause for Case 2 . For Case 1 , the period from heavy rainfall to the onset of symptoms and the result of sequence- based typing indicated that Legionnaires’ disease was associated with the heavy rainfall. Case 2 was diagnosed by means of elevated serum antigen titer, although both the urinary antigen test and PCR of sputum were negative. We considered Legionnaires’ disease in Case 2 because both cases were hospitalized at the same time. Legionnaires’ disease can occur sporadically due to heavy rainfall. In addition, it can develop in patients without a clear history of exposure to more common aerosol infection routes. Legionnaires’ disease should be considered in the diagnosis of pneumonia after heavy rainfall.
