Volume 27, Number 5—May 2021
Research Letter
COVID-19 Co-infection with Legionella pneumophila in 2 Tertiary-Care Hospitals, Germany
Hedda L. Verhasselt
, Jan Buer, Jutta Dedy, Renate Ziegler, Joerg Steinmann, Frank Herbstreit, Thorsten Brenner, and Peter-Michael Rath
, Jan Buer, Jutta Dedy, Renate Ziegler, Joerg Steinmann, Frank Herbstreit, Thorsten Brenner, and Peter-Michael Rath
Table
Demographics and underlying conditions of patients with COVID-19 examined for Legionella pneumophila urine antigen, Germany
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Total | 93 (100.0) |
| Negative for L. pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen | 92 (98.9) |
| Positive for L. pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen |
1 (1.1) |
| Average time between admission and Legionella antigen test processing | 2.6 d (mean), 1 d (median) |
| Legionella-specific culture† performed/positive | 18 (19.4)/0 |
| Legionella nonspecific culture performed/positive | 35 (37.6)/11 (31.4) |
| Multiplex PCR‡ performed/positive | 31 (33.3)/5 (16.1) |
| Clinical symptoms typical for COVID-19§ |
60 (90.0) |
| Hospitalized | 93 (100) |
| Transferred from other hospital | 35 (37.6) |
| Treated in intensive care unit |
40 (43.0) |
| Mean age, years |
65 |
| Sex | |
| M | 66 (71.0) |
| F |
27 (29.0) |
| Invasive mechanical ventilation | 36 (38.7) |
| Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation | 17 (18.3) |
| Mortality |
30 (32.3) |
| Underlying conditions | |
| Cardiovascular disease | 50 (53.8) |
| Diabetes | 28 (30.1) |
| Chronic respiratory disease | 13 (14.0) |
| Cancer | 10 (11.0) |
| Other: rheumatism, Parkinson's disease | 17 (18.3) |
| Addictions: alcohol, nicotine | 7 (7.5) |
| Solid organ transplantation: lung | 1 (1.1) |
| None | 15 (16.1) |
| 1 underlying condition | 55 (59.1) |
| 2 underlying conditions | 29 (31.2) |
| >2 underlying conditions | 7 (7.5) |
*Values are no. (%) except as indicated. †Legionella BMPA selective agar (Thermo Scientific, https://www.thermofisher.com). ‡Unyvero P50 pneumonia application (Curetis GmbH, https://curetis.com) or ampliCube Respiratory Panel 1 (Mikrogen Diagnostic, https://www.mikrogen.de). §Data available for 67 patients.
Page created: April 05, 2021
Page updated: April 21, 2021
Page reviewed: April 21, 2021
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