Legionnaires' Disease in Children

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Abstract
In a retrospective survey of sera collected from 126 patients under the age of 10 yr, seroreactivity was first detected at 1 yr of age when the geometric mean titer rose from 12 to 24. This activity increased to a titer of 102 in the 4-6 yr old group and was maintained in the 7-9 yr old group. At the time of serum collection, at least 25% of those sampled had a titer of 256 or greater, a level currently thought to be presumptive evidence of infection at some undetermined time. No difference in the geometric mean titer could be ascertained when the population was divided by clinical diagnosis or by sex. No seasonal variation was observed. Of 35 paired sera from children under the age of 5 yr, 3 fourfold rises were observed. One rise to a titer of 128 was detected in an 11 mo. old girl with a clinical diagnosis of bronchiolitis. The 2nd rise in a 5 yr old boy with pneumonia was an increase from 256 to 2048. The 3rd rise in a 6 mo. old with pneumonia did not meet the currently accepted level necessary for confirmed diagnosis. Infection with Legionella pneumophila, or a closely related agent, apparently is common in this population, occurring before 9 yr of age, and may be a cause of mild respiratory disease in infants and children.

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