Abstract
The surveillance of Legionnaires' disease (LD) in Europe is carried out by the European Legionnaires' Disease Surveillance Network (ELDSNet) and coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). All cases reported in 2009 and 2010 and meeting the European case definition were electronically transmitted to The European Surveillance System (TESSy) database. A total of 5,551 and 6,305 cases were reported by 29 European countries in 2009 and 2010, respectively. The age-standardised rate of all cases was 1.20 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2010, 12% higher than in 2009, which was consistent with the increasing trend observed since 2005. Most of this increase consisted of community-acquired cases reported by France, Germany and the Netherlands with dates of onset in August–September. The exceptionally hot summer of 2010 in some parts of Europe may have played a role in this increase.
Highlights
Legionnaires’ disease (LD) is the severe and sometimes fatal form of an infection with Legionella spp
LD is classically described as a severe pneumonia that may be accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea, myalgia, impaired renal and liver functions, and delirium
Each year, nominated European Legionnaires’ Disease Surveillance Network (ELDSNet) members in each of the participating countries are asked to electronically transmit their data to The European Surveillance System (TESSy) database hosted by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
Summary
Legionnaires’ disease (LD) is the severe and sometimes fatal form of an infection with Legionella spp. LD is classically described as a severe pneumonia that may be accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea, myalgia, impaired renal and liver functions, and delirium. These gram-negative bacteria are found in freshwater environments worldwide and tend to contaminate man-made water systems [1]. One species of Legionella, L. pneumophila is the aetiological agent of approximately 90% of all LD cases. Since 2010, the surveillance of LD in Europe has been carried out by the European Legionnaires’ Disease Surveillance Network (ELDSNet) and coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in Stockholm, Sweden
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