Detection of Legionella Pneumophila in Urine and Serum Specimens of Neutropenic Febrile Patients with Haematological Malignancies

Background: Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is a gram-negative bacterium which causes ‎Legionnaires’ disease as well as Pontiac fever. The Legionella infections in patients suffering from ‎neutropenia- as a common complication of cancer chemotherapy- can distribute rapidly. We ‎aimed to detect of L. pneumophila in haematological malignancy suffering patients with ‎neutropenic fever by targeting the (macrophage infectivity potentiator) mip gene. Subjects and Methods: Serum and ‎urine specimens were obtained from 80 patients and presence of mip gene of L. pneumophila in ‎specimens was investigated by PCR. Results: The L. pneumophila infection was detected in 21 (26.2%) and 38 ‎‎(47.5%) of urine and serum specimens, respectively. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that the relative high ‎prevalence of L. pneumophila in the studied patients group which show the necessity of ‎considering this microorganism in future studies from detection and treatment point of view in ‎cancer patients.