Acute Renal Failure Associated with Legionellosis
Authors: Ursula C. Brewster
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2004)

Letters2 March 2004Acute Renal Failure Associated with LegionellosisUrsula C. Brewster, MDUrsula C. Brewster, MDFrom Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8029.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-140-5-200403020-00026 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Background: Legionellosis is a systemic disease that primarily affects the lungs but can also cause dysfunction in many organ systems, including the kidneys.Objective: This letter reports a case of acute renal failure in a patient with legionellosis to remind clinicians that this organism can cause acute renal failure in the absence of other obvious signs of disease.Case Report: A 54-year-old healthy man with a history of hypertension presented with lethargy and malaise. Five days earlier, he had acute onset of nausea and vomiting. He subsequently developed 4 to 5 bouts of diarrhea over 2 days. ...References1. Tsai TF, Finn DR, Plikaytis BD, McCauley W, Martin SM, Fraser DW. Legionnaires' disease: clinical features of the epidemic in Philadelphia. Ann Intern Med. 1979;90:509-17. [PMID: 434627] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Wegmuller E, Weidmann P, Hess T, Reubi FC. Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis accompanying Legionnaires' disease. Arch Intern Med. 1985;145:1711-3. [PMID: 3896188] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Fenves AZ. Legionnaires' disease associated with acute renal failure: a report of two cases and review of the literature. Clin Nephrol. 1985;23:96-100. [PMID: 3886229] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Plouffe JF, File TM, Breiman RF, Hackman BA, Salstrom SJ, Marston BJ, et al . Reevaluation of the definition of Legionnaires' disease: use of the urinary antigen assay. Community Based Pneumonia Incidence Study Group. Clin Infect Dis. 1995;20:1286-91. [PMID: 7620012] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Shah A, Check F, Baskin S, Reyman T, Menard R. Legionnaires' disease and acute renal failure: case report and review. Clin Infect Dis. 1992;14:204-7. [PMID: 1571431] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Ursula C. Brewster, MDAffiliations: From Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8029. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byAcute Pancreatitis Associated with Atypical Bacterial Pneumonia: Systematic Literature ReviewLegionnaire's Disease and its MimicsPost-infection immunocomplex glomerulonephritis and Legionnaires' disease in a patient with adult Still's disease during treatment with interleukin 1 receptor antagonist anakinra: a case reportPathological evidence of rhabdomyolysis-induced acute tubulointerstitial nephritis accompanying Legionella pneumophila pneumonia: Figure 1 2 March 2004Volume 140, Issue 5Page: 406-407KeywordsAcute renal failureBiopsyBlood pressureEpithelial cellsLegionellosisLungsNecrosisNephritisPulmonary diseasesUrinary tract infections ePublished: 2 March 2004 Issue Published: 2 March 2004 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2004 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...