A survey of legionella pneumophila among pneumonia patients at Kenyatta national hospital
Abstract
Objective: To determine the occurrence of L. pneumophila among pneumonia patients
at Kenyatta National Hospital and any association with possible risk factors.
Design: A cross- sectional descriptive study.
Setting: The study was conducted from March to June 2007, at the medical ward of
Kenyatta National Hospital. Analysis of samples was done at the University of Nairobi
Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases (UNITID) serology laboratories.
Subjects: All adult patients who were admitted to the medical ward of the hospital
with a provisional diagnosis of pneumonia.
Results: The study indicated that up to 9.2% (11 out of 120) of the pneumonia patients
admitted at the hospital were infected with L.pneumophila. At a confidence limit of 0.05,
there was statistical significance in the number of pneumonia patients infected with
L. pneumophila and exposure to air conditioners (p= 0.003). Twenty two point five eight
per cent of patients who were exposed to air conditioners were positive for L. pneumophila
urinary antigen. There was a statistical significance between exposure to air conditioners
and location of work area (p= 0.001)). Thirty eight point four six per cent of those who
worked indoors were exposed to air conditioners at their places of work. There was also
statistical significance in the number of pneumonia patients infected with L. pneumophila
and a history of a past or concurrent respiratory illness (p= 0.021).
Conclusion: Exposure to air conditioners and a history of past or concurrent respiratory
illness were found to predispose one to infection. This should raise the index of
suspicion among clinicians as they obtain a patient’s medical history. Most of those
exposed to air conditioners are exposed at their places of work in urban centres,
hence the need for health education and public awareness on routine inspection and
maintenance of such facilities. There is need for a larger multi-centre study on the
prevalence of infection by L. pneumophila in pneumonia patients (both community
acquired and nosocomial), existence of co- infection and the antibiotic susceptibility
of isolated organisms
Citation
East African Medical Journal Vol. 86 No. 12 December 2009Publisher
Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi
Collections
- Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) [10377]