Skip to main content
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1982 Jul;45(7):603–608. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.45.7.603

Neurological involvement in legionellosis

AI Weir *, I Bone *, DH Kennedy
PMCID: PMC491475  PMID: 7119829

Abstract

A study of the clinical, electrophysiological and biochemical features of 16 patients with legionellosis has been performed. Evidence of central and peripheral nervous system involvement has been found in the majority of patients. This is characterised by confusion out of keeping with the degree of toxic or metabolic upset, signs of anterior midline cerebellar dysfunction, grossly elevated creatinine kinase of skeletal muscle origin, and a subclinical peripheral neuropathy.

Full text

PDF
603

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baker P. C., Price T. R., Allen C. D. Brain stem and cerebellar dysfunction with Legionnaires' disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1981 Nov;44(11):1054–1056. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.44.11.1054. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Biberfeld G. Antibodies to brain and other tissues in cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Clin Exp Immunol. 1971 Feb;8(2):319–333. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bone I., Weir A. I., Kennedy D. Pronounced cerebellar features in legionnaires' disease. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1981 Sep 12;283(6293):730–730. doi: 10.1136/bmj.283.6293.730. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Brown J. R., Darley F. L., Aronson A. E. Ataxic dysarhria. Int J Neurol. 1970;7(2):302–318. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fallon R. J., Abraham W. H. Detecting legionnaires' disease. Lancet. 1978 Dec 16;2(8103):1318–1318. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(78)92091-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fraser D. W., Tsai T. R., Orenstein W., Parkin W. E., Beecham H. J., Sharrar R. G., Harris J., Mallison G. F., Martin S. M., McDade J. E. Legionnaires' disease: description of an epidemic of pneumonia. N Engl J Med. 1977 Dec 1;297(22):1189–1197. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197712012972201. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Fullerton P. M., Barnes J. M. Peripheral neuropathy in rats produced by acrylamide. Br J Ind Med. 1966 Jul;23(3):210–221. doi: 10.1136/oem.23.3.210. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gasper T. M., Farndon P. A., Davies R. Thrombocytopenia associated with legionnaires' disease. Br Med J. 1978 Dec 9;2(6152):1611–1612. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.6152.1611-a. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gregory D. W., Schaffner W., Alford R. H., Kaiser A. B., McGee Z. A. Sporadic cases of Legionnaires' disease: the expanding clinical spectrum. Ann Intern Med. 1979 Apr;90(4):518–521. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-90-4-518. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kennedy D. H., Bone I., Weir A. I. Early diagnosis of legionnaires' disease: distinctive neurological findings. Lancet. 1981 Apr 25;1(8226):940–941. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)91633-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Lattimer G. L., Rhodes L. V., 3rd Legionnaires' disease. Clinical findings and one-year follow-up. JAMA. 1978 Sep 8;240(11):1169–1171. doi: 10.1001/jama.240.11.1169. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Leeuwin R. S., Wolters E. C. Effect of corticosteroids on sciatic nerve-tibialis anterior muscle of rats treated with hemicholinium-3. An experimental approach to a possible mechanism of action of corticosteroids in myasthenia gravis. Neurology. 1977 Feb;27(2):171–177. doi: 10.1212/wnl.27.2.171. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. MCDONALD W. I. THE EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTAL DEMYELINATION ON CONDUCTION IN PERIPHERAL NERVE: A HISTOLOGICAL AND ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDY. I. CLINICAL AND HISTOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. Brain. 1963 Sep;86:481–500. doi: 10.1093/brain/86.3.481. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. MCDONALD W. I. THE EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTAL DEMYELINATION ON CONDUCTION IN PERIPHERAL NERVE: A HISTOLOGICAL AND ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDY. II. ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. Brain. 1963 Sep;86:501–524. doi: 10.1093/brain/86.3.501. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Manuelidis E. E., Thomas L. Occlusion of brain capillaries by endothelial swelling in mycoplasma infections. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1973 Mar;70(3):706–709. doi: 10.1073/pnas.70.3.706. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Maskill M. R., Jordan E. C. Pronounced cerebellar features in legionnaires' disease. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1981 Jul 25;283(6286):276–276. doi: 10.1136/bmj.283.6286.276. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Meenhorst P. L., van der Meer J. W., Borst J. Sporadic cases of Legionnaires' disease in the Netherlands. Ann Intern Med. 1979 Apr;90(4):529–532. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-90-4-529. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Morgan D. J., Gawler J. Severe peripheral neuropathy complicating legionnaires' disease. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1981 Dec 12;283(6306):1577–1578. doi: 10.1136/bmj.283.6306.1577. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Noah N. D. Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in the United Kingdom--1967-73. Br Med J. 1974 Jun 8;2(5918):544–546. doi: 10.1136/bmj.2.5918.544. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. PALLIS C. A., SCOTT J. T. PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. Br Med J. 1965 May 1;1(5443):1141–1147. doi: 10.1136/bmj.1.5443.1141. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Posner M. R., Caudill M. A., Brass R., Ellis E. Legionnaires' disease associated with rhabdomyolysis and myoglobinuria. Arch Intern Med. 1980 Jun;140(6):848–850. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Rosenberg R. N., Lovelace R. E. Mononeuritis multiplex in lepromatous leprosy. Arch Neurol. 1968 Sep;19(3):310–314. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1968.00480030088009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Sanford J. P. Legionnaires' disease: one person's perspective. Ann Intern Med. 1979 Apr;90(4):699–703. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-90-4-699. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sangster G. Neurological complications of primary atypical pneumonia. Br J Clin Pract. 1966 Feb;20(2):89–92. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Sharrar R. G., Friedman H. M., Miller W. T., Yanak M. J., Abrutyn E. Summertime pneumonias in Philadelphia in 1976. An epidemiologic study. Ann Intern Med. 1979 Apr;90(4):577–580. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-90-4-577. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Shetty K. R., Cilyo C. L., Starr B. D., Harter D. H. Legionnaires' disease with profound cerebellar involvement. Arch Neurol. 1980 Jun;37(6):379–380. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1980.00500550081014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Terranova W., Cohen M. L., Fraser D. W. 1974 outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease diagnosed in 1977. Clinical and epidemiological features. Lancet. 1978 Jul 15;2(8081):122–124. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(78)91507-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Tsai T. F., Finn D. R., Plikaytis B. D., McCauley W., Martin S. M., Fraser D. W. Legionnaires' disease: clinical features of the epidemic in Philadelphia. Ann Intern Med. 1979 Apr;90(4):509–517. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-90-4-509. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Wong K. H., Moss C. W., Hochstein D. H., Arko R. J., Schalla W. O. "Endotoxicity" of the Legionnaires' disease bacterium. Ann Intern Med. 1979 Apr;90(4):624–627. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-90-4-624. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES