Waller C, Freeman K, Labib S, Baird R. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of legionellosis in Northern Australia, 2010-2021. Commun Dis Intell (2018). 2022 Jun 23;46. doi: 10.33321/cdi.2022.46.34. PMID: 35739069.
Objective: This study describes characteristics of the legionellosis cases occurring between 2010 and 2021 in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia.
Highlights
- A retrospective review of 53 cases of legionellosis .
- All cases were sporadic but the incidence rate in the Northern Territory (NT) was higher than the Australian median rate (2.1 and 1.5 per 100,000 population per year respectively).
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients were younger than non-Indigenous patients (median 41 and 60 years of age respectively) and more cases in males.
- There was a higher proportion of legionellosis in months with increased humidity, with a greater number of longbeachae infections detected overall (59%) than of L. pneumophila (41%).
- Legionellosis in the NT is more common, seasonal, and may be underreported due to current reliance on serological testing for diagnosis.