1887

Abstract

Four cases of legionellosis caused by serogroup (sg) 1 were identified in Scotland from 2008 to 2010. All case patients had exposure to commercially manufactured growing media or potting soils, commonly known as multipurpose compost (MPC), in greenhouse conditions, prior to disease onset. Two patients had been using the same brand of MPC but the clinical isolates were distinct genotypically by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. However, an indistinguishable AFLP profile was also found in an environmental isolate from the supply of MPC used by each patient. The third patient was diagnosed by immunofluorescent antibody serology only; however, the MPC to which this patient was exposed contained sg 1 in large quantities (80 000 c.f.u. g). The fourth patient was sg 1 culture-positive, but was not identified from 10 samples of garden composting material. As compost is commonly used, but infection seemingly rare, further work is required to ascertain (i) the prevalence and predictors of in compost and (ii) the conditions which facilitate transmission and generate an aerosol of the bacteria. As most cases of legionellosis are diagnosed by urinary antigen that is -specific and does not detect infection with , patients in cases of community-acquired pneumonia with a history of compost exposure should have serum and respiratory samples sent to a specialist reference laboratory for analysis.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.035857-0
2012-02-01
2024-12-06
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/jmm/61/2/218.html?itemId=/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.035857-0&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. BSI 2005; Specification for Composted Materials, PAS 100, pp. 1–56. London: British Standards Institution;
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Casati S., Gioria-Martinoni A., Gaia V. 2009; Commercial potting soils as an alternative infection source of Legionella pneumophila and other Legionella species in Switzerland. Clin Microbiol Infect 15:571–575 [View Article][PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Casati S., Conza L., Bruin J., Gaia V. 2010; Compost facilities as a reservoir of Legionella pneumophila and other Legionella species. Clin Microbiol Infect 16:945–947[PubMed] [CrossRef]
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Conza L., Casati S., Gaia V. 2009; Free-living amoebae and Legionella in bioaerosols from composting facilities of southern Switzerland. In Legionella 2009, abstract P104. http://www.pasteur.fr/infosci/conf/sb/legionella2009/fichiers/abstractbook_Legio2009.pdf
  5. den Boer J. W., Yzerman E. P., Jansen R., Bruin J. P., Verhoef L. P., Neve G., van der Zwaluw K. 2007; Legionnaires’ disease and gardening. Clin Microbiol Infect 13:88–91 [View Article][PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Fry N. K., Bangsborg J. M., Bernander S., Etienne J., Forsblom B., Gaia V., Hasenberger P., Lindsay D., Papoutsi A. other authors 2000; Assessment of intercentre reproducibility and epidemiological concordance of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 genotyping by amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 19:773–780 [View Article][PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Hughes M. S., Steele T. W. 1994; Occurrence and distribution of Legionella species in composted plant materials. Appl Environ Microbiol 60:2003–2005[PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Kümpers P., Tiede A., Kirschner P., Girke J., Ganser A., Peest D. 2008; Legionnaires’ disease in immunocompromised patients: a case report of Legionella longbeachae pneumonia and review of the literature. J Med Microbiol 57:384–387 [View Article][PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Lindsay D. S. J., Abraham W. H., Brown A. W., Edwards G. F. S. 2006; Detection of Legionella spp. and Legionella pneumophila-specific DNA in respiratory secretions by PCR ELISA and comparison with conventional methods. In Legionella: State of the Art 30 Years After Its Recognition, pp. 55–57. Edited by N. P. Cianciotto and others. Washington, DC: American Society for Microbiology;
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Lindsay D., Brown A., Edwards G. 2009; Legionella longbeachae Sg 1 infections linked to potting compost. In Legionella 2009, abstract p30. http://www.pasteur.fr/infosci/conf/sb/legionella2009/fichiers/abstractbook_Legio2009.pdf
  11. McKinney R. M., Porschen R. K., Edelstein P. H., Bissett M. L., Harris P. P., Bondell S. P., Steigerwalt A. G., Weaver R. E., Ein M. E. other authors 1981; Legionella longbeachae species nova, another etiologic agent of human pneumonia. Ann Intern Med 94:739–743[PubMed] [CrossRef]
    [Google Scholar]
  12. O’Connor B. A., Carman J., Eckert K., Tucker G., Givney R., Cameron S. 2007; Does using potting mix make you sick? Results from a Legionella longbeachae case-control study in South Australia. Epidemiol Infect 135:34–39 [View Article][PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Pravinkumar S. J., Edwards G., Lindsay D., Redmond S., Stirling J., House R., Kerr J., Anderson E., Breen D. other authors 2010; A cluster of Legionnaires’ disease caused by Legionella longbeachae linked to potting compost in Scotland, 2008–2009. Euro Surveill 15:pii = 19496[PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Ratcliff R. M., Lanser J. A., Manning P. A., Heuzenroeder M. W. 1998; Sequence-based classification scheme for the genus Legionella targeting the mip gene. J Clin Microbiol 36:1560–1567[PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Steele T. W., Lanser J., Sangster N. 1990; Isolation of Legionella longbeachae serogroup 1 from potting mixes. Appl Environ Microbiol 56:49–53[PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  16. van der Zee A., Verbakel H., de Jong C., Pot R., Bergmans A., Peeters M., Schneeberger P., Schellekens J. 2002; Novel PCR-probe assay for detection of and discrimination between Legionella pneumophila and other Legionella species in clinical samples. J Clin Microbiol 40:1124–1125 [View Article][PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Velonakis E. N., Kiousi I. M., Koutis C., Papadogiannakis E., Babatsikou F., Vatopoulos A. 2010; First isolation of Legionella species, including L. pneumophila serogroup 1, in Greek potting soils: possible importance for public health. Clin Microbiol Infect 16:763–766 [View Article][PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Whiley H., Bentham R. 2011; Legionella longbeachae and legionellosis. Emerg Infect Dis 17:579–583[PubMed] [CrossRef]
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Wilkinson H. W., Cruce D. D., Broome C. V. 1981; Validation of Legionella pneumophila indirect immunofluorescence assay with epidemic sera. J Clin Microbiol 13:139–146[PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Yu V. L., Plouffe J. F., Pastoris M. C., Stout J. E., Schousboe M., Widmer A., Summersgill J., File T., Heath C. M. other authors 2002; Distribution of Legionella species and serogroups isolated by culture in patients with sporadic community-acquired legionellosis: an international collaborative survey. J Infect Dis 186:127–128 [View Article][PubMed]
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.035857-0
Loading
/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.035857-0
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error