J. Darelid et al., Community spread of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 in temporal relation to a nosocomial outbreak, SC J IN DIS, 33(3), 2001, pp. 194-199
To clarify whether a nosocomial outbreak of legionnaires' disease in the Va
rnamo hospital in Sweden mas part of a wider outbreak in the Varnamo commun
ity a number of investigations were performed. First, the proportion of cas
es of legionnaires' disease in a group with nosocomially acquired pneumonia
(11%) was compared to the proportion within a group with community-acquire
d pneumonia (14%) and the difference was found not to be significant (p > 0
.05). Second, the proportion of the nursing staff at the Varnamo hospital w
ith an elevated antibody titre (greater than or equal to 16) to Legionella
pneumophila serogroup (sg) 1 (33%, 84/258) was compared to the proportion i
n a group of local residents of Varnamo community (26%, 25/96) and found no
t to be significant; in contrast, comparison with the proportion in a group
from the assistant nursing staff at another hospital 60 km away (5%, 4/80)
was highly significant (p < 0.001). Furthermore, Legionella species were c
ultured from samples drawn from the hospital mater supply as well from the
water supply from municipal buildings. In 1996 a follow-up study mas conduc
ted, which showed that < 1% of the assistant nurses and local residents had
an elevated titre to L. pneumophila sg 1. These results indicate that ther
e was a temporary spread of L, pneumophila sg 1 in the Varnamo community at
the beginning of 1991, both in the local hospital and the surrounding comm
unity. This implies that physicians should be aware of community-acquired c
ases of legionnaires' disease when a nosocomial outbreak is detected.