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    Home > Active Ingredient News > Infection > Rarely, Legionella infection causes atrioventricular block| case sharing

    Rarely, Legionella infection causes atrioventricular block| case sharing

    • Last Update: 2023-02-01
    • Source: Internet
    • Author: User
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    Case data


    The patient is male, 72 years old
    .
    The main reason was 6 days of dry cough and 4 days of fever at the peak of the new coronavirus infection pandemic
    , and he presented to the emergency department.
    Past medical history includes hypertension and is treated with lisinopril 5 mg/day
    .
    ECG 1 year ago shows normal sinus rhythm
    .
    The patient denied prodromal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea, did not have any cardiac symptoms such as syncope, syncope, chest pain or palpitations, and denied recent travel or exposure to
    the new crown.


    At the time of admission, the patient had no fever, blood pressure of 145/87 mmHg, heart rate of 84 beats/min, tachypnea, respiratory distress and hypoxia, respiratory rate of 21 breaths/min, and oxygen saturation of 94%
    at an oxygen concentration of 3L.
    Auscultation of the lungs with equal air intake in both lungs and a very small number of small crackling sounds
    at both bases.
    There is no elevation in jugular venous pressure, and there is no tenderness or swelling
    in the lower leg.
    Considering the COVID-19 pandemic, become a presumptive diagnosis
    .


    Preliminary laboratory results showed neutrophilia (9.
    1×10 9/L) and lymphopenia (0.
    8×109/L), D-dimer (1135 ng/ml), and C-reactive protein (347 mg/L) elevated
    .
    Brain natriuretic peptide precursors (354 pg/ml) and troponin (26 ng/L) were elevated
    .


    Arterial blood gases in room air on admission suggest type 1 respiratory failure
    .
    ECG shows 2:1 AV block with right bundle branch block (figure 1).

    Echocardiography showed good left and right ventricular systolic function, ejection fraction above 60%, and no local wall motion abnormalities
    .
    Chest x-ray shows a large shadow of the left airspace and a largely clear right lung (Figure 2).


    (Figure 1 ECG)


    (Figure 2 Chest X-ray)


    Because the patient's D-dimer was too high, pulmonary embolism was suspected, and pulmonary angiography CT results excluded it, confirming consolidation in the upper lobe of the left lung, suggesting infection, and a mild effusion in the right chamber (figure 3).


    (Figure 3 Chest CT examination)


    The patient's community-acquired pneumonia screening and chlamydia test were negative, and no bacterial growth
    was seen in blood and sputum cultures.
    Recurrent viral tests for COVID-19 infection were negative, and PCR results for influenza A, influenza B, avian influenza, and pigeon immunoglobulin G antibodies were negative
    .
    Later tested positive
    for Legionella urine antigen.


    Initial treatment for COVID-19 includes oral steroids, injection combination amoxicillin-clavulanate, and oral clarithromycin for secondary bacterial chest infection
    .
    After reporting CT pulmonary angiography results and negative COVID-19 test results, steroids and antibiotics were discontinued and doxycycline was started for SARS
    .
    On the second day of treatment with doxycycline, the patient tested positive
    for Legionella antigen in the urine.
    Oral doxycycline is given for 14 days
    .
    The infection resolves and a permanent pacemaker
    is planned.
    Follow-up chest x-ray showed that a small amount of pleural effusion on the right side remained unchanged, but the consolidation improved, so further follow-up by the respiratory department to check for pleural effusion
    .


    Analyze the discussion


    While there are several infectious diseases associated with cardiac conduction abnormalities, cardiac conduction abnormalities caused by Legionella infection are very rare, and heart conduction disorders are more common
    in the pediatric population.


    Legionella is an aerobic gram-negative bacilli with strong resistance to the external environment, and water pollution is an important way
    for Legionella to spread.
    Epidemiological studies have shown that cooling water and shower water are the main sources of Legionella contamination, and Legionnaires' disease can be sporadic or outbreak, and most patients with Legionnaires' disease are sporadic cases
    .
    Legionnaires' disease occurs year-round, especially in summer and autumn, and is more susceptible to older people, children, and immunocompromised people
    .
    In this case, the patient had no obvious exposure, no history of travel, and the source of infection was unknown
    .
    In patients with suspected Legionella infection, urine antigen testing and sputum culture
    are recommended.
    Legionella urine antigen is only targeted at Legionella pneumophila serotype 1 and is positive to confirm the diagnosis
    .
    Specimen culture is the gold standard
    for the diagnosis of legionnaires' disease.


    The severity of Legionella infection is related
    to the amount of bacteria and the degree of immunity of the infected host.
    Depending on the clinical presentation, Legionnaires' disease is mainly divided into Legionella pneumonia and Pontiac fever
    .
    Treatment of legionnaires' disease should be antibiotic with high intracellular activity, such as macrolides (erythromycin, azithromycin, etc.
    ), neofluoroquinolones, rifampicin, doxycycline, minocycline, and other antimicrobials
    .


    The prognosis for Legionella-associated cardiac conduction problems is unclear, and the need for permanent pacemaker implantation is assessed in this case, possibly related to
    Legionella infection exacerbating some underlying conduction abnormalities.


    In patients with new-onset cardiac conduction disorders in the context of community-acquired pneumonia, Legionella infection is recommended as a differential diagnosis, and prompt recognition and treatment of Legionella infection is essential
    to reduce secondary complications (e.
    g.
    , cardiac involvement) and prevent reversible infectious heart block.


    Resources:

    1.
    Oo K, Lwin M, Porter J (January 08, 2023) Atrio-Ventricular Block by Legionella Disease.
    Cureus 15(1): e33498.
    doi:10.
    7759/cureus.
    33498.

    2.
    Su Wei.
    Jiangsu Health Care,2022,No.
    296(08):19.
    )

    3.
    DUAN Zhimei, WEI Tengchen, et al.
    Clinical analysis and literature review of Legionella pneumonia[J].
    Journal of PLA Medical College,2022,43(03):284-290.
    )


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