[Legionella pneumophila pneumonia community epidemic outbreak in Barcelona: "The Barceloneta outbreak". Effect on the early diagnosis and treatment].

OBJECTIVE

Clinical and microbiological descriptive analysis of the outbreak of community legionnaire's disease recorded in the Barcelona's Barcelonesa neighborhood in November 2000.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

Retrospective review of the epidemiological and clinical manifestations, as well as the evolution of the cases of Legionella pneumophila pneumonia associated with the outbreak and cared of in the Hospital del Mar.

RESULTS

The 48 patients evaluated, all of them with confirmed diagnoses, represent 89% of the cases communicated. Seventy-five percent of patients showed some underlying disease, 54% had some criterion for severity, and mortality was 4%. In 81% of cases the detection of the antigen of Legionella pneumophila in urine was the diagnostic method.

CONCLUSIONS

The detection in urine of the Legionella pneumophila antigen makes possible the early diagnosis of legionnaire's disease, particularly in epidemic outbreaks, which that facilitates the fast establishment of the adequate treatment and contributes to the reduction in mortality even in patients of high risk.