Biomaterial Database

Legionnaires' disease: one person's perspective. 1979

J P Sanford

Since July 1976 when an outbreak of severe, acute respiratory disease of unknown origin occurred among attendees at the 58th Annual Convention of the American Legion in Philadelphia, great progress has been made, including identification of the causative organism, Legionella pneumophila. Clinical features include not only respiratory involvement but often abdominal complaints, encephalopathy, renal disease, and rhabdomyolysis. Erythromycin appears to be an effective antimicrobial agent. Epidemiologic studies have defined epidemics as well as sporadic cases. Legionella pneumophila has appeared as an opportunistic pathogen. Organisms have been isolated from air-handling equipment and evaporative condensers in four instances. At present diagnosis usually is based on the demonstration of a fourfold rise in antibody titer between serum specimens obtained 3 to 6 weeks apart. Recent data suggest that organisms may be shown in tracheal secretions using a direct flluorescent antibody procedure and that antigen may be shown in urine using the microenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007877	Legionnaires' Disease	An acute, sometimes fatal, pneumonia-like bacterial infection characterized by high fever, malaise, muscle aches, respiratory disorders and headache. It is named for an outbreak at the 1976 Philadelphia convention of the American Legion.	Legionella pneumophila Infections,Infections, Legionella pneumophila,Legionnaire Disease,Pontiac Fever,Disease, Legionnaire,Disease, Legionnaires',Fever, Pontiac,Infection, Legionella pneumophila,Legionella pneumophila Infection,Legionnaire's Disease,Legionnaires Disease
D004196	Disease Outbreaks	Sudden increase in the incidence of a disease. The concept includes EPIDEMICS and PANDEMICS.	Outbreaks,Infectious Disease Outbreaks,Disease Outbreak,Disease Outbreak, Infectious,Disease Outbreaks, Infectious,Infectious Disease Outbreak,Outbreak, Disease,Outbreak, Infectious Disease,Outbreaks, Disease,Outbreaks, Infectious Disease
D004797	Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay	An immunoassay utilizing an antibody labeled with an enzyme marker such as horseradish peroxidase. While either the enzyme or the antibody is bound to an immunosorbent substrate, they both retain their biologic activity; the change in enzyme activity as a result of the enzyme-antibody-antigen reaction is proportional to the concentration of the antigen and can be measured spectrophotometrically or with the naked eye. Many variations of the method have been developed.	ELISA,Assay, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent,Assays, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent,Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay,Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays,Immunosorbent Assay, Enzyme-Linked,Immunosorbent Assays, Enzyme-Linked
D004917	Erythromycin	A bacteriostatic antibiotic macrolide produced by Streptomyces erythreus. Erythromycin A is considered its major active component. In sensitive organisms, it inhibits protein synthesis by binding to 50S ribosomal subunits. This binding process inhibits peptidyl transferase activity and interferes with translocation of amino acids during translation and assembly of proteins.	Erycette,Erymax,Erythromycin A,Erythromycin C,Erythromycin Lactate,Erythromycin Phosphate,Ilotycin,T-Stat,Lactate, Erythromycin,Phosphate, Erythromycin,T Stat,TStat
D005455	Fluorescent Antibody Technique	Test for tissue antigen using either a direct method, by conjugation of antibody with fluorescent dye (FLUORESCENT ANTIBODY TECHNIQUE, DIRECT) or an indirect method, by formation of antigen-antibody complex which is then labeled with fluorescein-conjugated anti-immunoglobulin antibody (FLUORESCENT ANTIBODY TECHNIQUE, INDIRECT). The tissue is then examined by fluorescence microscopy.	Antinuclear Antibody Test, Fluorescent,Coon's Technique,Fluorescent Antinuclear Antibody Test,Fluorescent Protein Tracing,Immunofluorescence Technique,Coon's Technic,Fluorescent Antibody Technic,Immunofluorescence,Immunofluorescence Technic,Antibody Technic, Fluorescent,Antibody Technics, Fluorescent,Antibody Technique, Fluorescent,Antibody Techniques, Fluorescent,Coon Technic,Coon Technique,Coons Technic,Coons Technique,Fluorescent Antibody Technics,Fluorescent Antibody Techniques,Fluorescent Protein Tracings,Immunofluorescence Technics,Immunofluorescence Techniques,Protein Tracing, Fluorescent,Protein Tracings, Fluorescent,Technic, Coon's,Technic, Fluorescent Antibody,Technic, Immunofluorescence,Technics, Fluorescent Antibody,Technics, Immunofluorescence,Technique, Coon's,Technique, Fluorescent Antibody,Technique, Immunofluorescence,Techniques, Fluorescent Antibody,Techniques, Immunofluorescence,Tracing, Fluorescent Protein,Tracings, Fluorescent Protein
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001419	Bacteria	One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive.	Eubacteria
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.