Are macrolides as effective as fluoroquinolones in Legionella pneumonia?: YES, But...

Abstract

Legionella pneumonia (LP) is a well-known cause of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in immunocompetent patients. This intracellular pathogen is considered one of the "core microorganisms" of CAP and it is also a microorganism that can cause hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) either in individual cases or in the form of large-scale outbreaks. Immunosuppressed patients have a higher risk of acquiring this infection, both in the community and in the hospital, for this reason LP has to be empirically covered and intensively searched for diagnosis. Inadequate initial or delayed antibiotic treatments in LP are factors associated with a worse prognosis.