On September 3, local time, Pablo Yedlin, chairman of the Argentine Senate Health Committee and former director of the Tucuman Provincial Department of Public Health, said in an interview with the media that according to laboratory data, recently found in the Tucuman province Luz Hospital. The cause of pneumonia of unknown etiology is Legionella.
Earlier in the day, Argentine Health Minister Carla Bisotti also confirmed that a patient sample had tested positive for Legionella and that the specific type of Legionella was being verified.
"From a professional point of view, it can be confirmed that this is an outbreak of Legionella, possibly Legionella pneumophila," he said.
Recently, there have been many cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in the Tucuman province in northern Argentina. The first cases were in the Luz Hospital in the province, most of which were medical staff in the hospital.
At present, the hospital has been closed and stopped accepting new patients.
According to the Argentine Ministry of Health, the first batch of patients developed symptoms such as vomiting, high fever, muscle aches, and diarrhea from August 18 to 22. Imaging examinations showed bilateral lung infection. After testing, new coronary pneumonia, type A and type B were excluded. Influenza and the possibility of infection with many common pathogens.
As of the morning of September 3, the province has reported a total of 11 cases of pneumonia of unknown cause and a total of 4 deaths.
Legionella is a facultative intracellular pathogenic bacteria that commonly exists in natural freshwater and artificial waters (tap water, hot water showers, central air conditioning condensate water, cooling tower water, etc.), or in protozoa ( such as amoeba) intracellular parasites.
There are 50 confirmed legion genera.
Among them, the most closely related to human disease is Legionella pneumophila, and 16 serotypes have been found.
(Headquarters reporter Gong Xiangcheng)