Legionnaires' Disease at a Community Hospital

Excerpt

To the editor: In response to your April 1979 symposium on Legionnaire's disease (1), I wish to describe the services organized at our 375-bed community hospital for the diagnosis of that infection as well as to outline briefly our findings to date.

We have been offering an immunofluorescent antibody test using IgG- and IgM-specific antibody determination with a Philadelphia-1 strain of Legionella pneumophila as the antigen substrate. Tests are done and results reported on the day of specimen receipt. Our medical staff has been encouraged to consider the diagnosis in acutely febrile patients with evidence of respiratory infection, particularly if