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Test results may remain positive for weeks, even after appropriate
antibiotic therapy.
Treatment
For Legionnaires disease (LD), a high level of suspicion and prompt
initiation of adequate antimicrobial therapy are critical to improve clinical
outcomes.Therapyeffectiveinpatientswithlegionellosisshouldbeconsidered
for initial empirical treatment for severe community-acquired pneumonia
(CAP) and for specific patients with nosocomial pneumonia. Antimicrobial
therapy for Legionella disease Specific therapy includes antibiotics capable
of achieving high intracellular concentrations (eg, macrolides, quinolones,
ketolides, tetracyclines, rifampin). The recommended duration of therapy
is 5-10 days if azithromycin is used. If other drugs are used, the duration
should be 2-3 weeks.
