Investigation of Suspected Cases of Legionnaires’ Disease in Taiwan

Hsun-Pi Su

2007 Vol.23 NO.11

Correspondence Author： Hsun-Pi Su

Abstract：

On December 19, 2006, three suspected cases of Legionnaires’ disease were reported from Nanto County; all three cases were exposed to a swimming pool in Ju-Shan Village. Third Branch of CDC began an investigation with the objectives to: confirm the diagnosis, find epidemiological linkages between the cases, identify possible common infection source, and determine the health status of the contacts. The investigation found that one strain isolated from one of the cases had the same PFGE pattern as a strain of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 isolated from the swimming pool. This is the first cluster of suspected Legionnaires’ disease cases in Taiwan. The process of investigation of this cluster was described in the article. Although the event was ruled out, this article might still be a reference for epidemiological personnel.
Keywords: Legionnaires’ disease, Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, outbreak