Legionnaire's Disease and its Mimics: A Clinical Perspective

Burke A Cunha; Cheston B Cunha

doi:10.1016/j.idc.2016.10.008

Legionnaire's Disease and its Mimics: A Clinical Perspective

Infect Dis Clin North Am. 2017 Mar;31(1):95-109. doi: 10.1016/j.idc.2016.10.008.

Authors

Burke A Cunha¹, Cheston B Cunha²

Affiliations

¹ Infectious Disease Division, Winthrop-University Hospital, 222 Station Plaza North, #432, Mineola, NY 11501, USA; School of Medicine, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, USA. Electronic address: bacunha@winthrop.org.
² Division of Infectious Disease, Rhode Island Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Brown University Alpert School of Medicine, Providence, RI, USA.

PMID: 28159179
DOI: 10.1016/j.idc.2016.10.008

Abstract

Whenever the cardinal manifestations of a disorder occur in similar disorders, there is potential for a disease mimic. Legionnaire's disease has protean manifestations and has the potential to mimic or be mimicked by other community acquired pneumonias (CAPs). In CAPs caused by other than Legionella species, the more characteristic features in common with legionnaire's disease the more difficult the diagnostic conundrum. In hospitalized adults with CAP, legionnaire's disease may mimic influenza or other viral pneumonias. Of the bacterial causes of CAP, psittacosis and Q fever, but not tularemia, are frequent mimics of legionnaire's disease.

Keywords: Adenovirus; HPIV-3; Influenza like illnesses (ILIs); Mimics; Psittacosis; Q fever.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Community-Acquired Infections
Diagnosis, Differential
Humans
Influenza, Human
Legionnaires' Disease* / diagnosis
Legionnaires' Disease* / diagnostic imaging
Legionnaires' Disease* / physiopathology
Pneumonia
Psittacosis
Q Fever
Radiography, Thoracic