Legionnaires' disease. Clinical findings and one-year follow-up
G. L. Lattimer and L. V. Rhodes 3rd
The cases of six patients with Philadelphia Legionnaires' disease were
studied during the acute phase and throughout the following year. This
multisystems disease process developed abruptly with symptoms of chills,
fever, myalgias, and headache. The unusual clinical association of fever
with relative bradycardia was noted frequently. Pneumonia developed after
the first few days and rapidly progressed to life-threatening respiratory
failure despite penicillin and cephalosporin therapy. Improvement occurred
within 48 hours after tetracycline or chloramphenicol was administered. No
permament sequelae were noted on the one-year follow-up examination, and no
secondary cases of infection occurred.
