To the Editor: Legionnaires' disease is an often severe form of pneumonia that is typically acquired by susceptible persons (e.g., elderly persons and smokers) through inhalation of aerosols that contain legionella species. 1-4 A cluster of cases of this disease occurred in Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, in 2014. 5 One of the first cases of disease in this cluster occurred in a 48-year-old man (Patient 1), a smoker, who had been employed since October 6, 2014, as a maintenance worker at an industrial cooling tower complex in Vila Franca de Xira that was subsequently found to be contaminated with Legionella pneumophila. 5 He returned to the home that he shared with is mother in Porto (approximately 300 km from Vila Franca de Xira) on October 11 and again on the evening of October 19 (Fig. 1). His symptoms began on October 14, and on October 19, he had severe respiratory symptoms, including an intense cough. During that night, his mother (Patient 2) took care of him until he was admitted to the hospital (Centro Hospitalar do Porto) approximately 8 hours later. On October 22, he was transferred to another hospital to receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. On October 27, Patient 2, who was a previously healthy 74-year-old woman, began to report fever, cough, and loss of appetite. She was admitted to the same hospital on November 3 with septic shock due to pneumonia, and she died on December 1. Patient 1 died on January 7, 2015. Urine specimens obtained from both patients showed positive results on testing for legionella

Association between selection pressure caused by the use of azole fungicides in sawmills and the development of fungal resistance has been described. The aim of this study was to implement an algorithm to assess the presence of Aspergillus section Fumigati resistant strains in sawmills.Eighty-six full-shift inhalable dust samples were collected from eleven industrial sawmills in Norway. Different culture media were used and molecular identification to species level in Aspergillus section Fumigati was done by calmodulin sequencing and TR 34 /L98H and TR 46 /Y121F/ T289A mutations were screened by real-time PCR assay and confirmed by cyp51A sequencing. Six Fumigati isolates were identified as A. fumigatus sensu stricto and two of these grew on azolesupplemented media and were further analyzed by real-time PCR. One was confirmed to be a TR 34 /L98H mutant.The obtained results reinforce the need to assess the presence of A. fumigatus sensu stricto resistant isolates at other workplaces with fungicide pressure.

This paper presents an overall review on how the production of concrete with recycled aggregates is treated in normative standards of different countries, as well as its response to the need for a sustainable development. Based on existing norms and specifications that allow the use of recycled aggregates in the production of concrete, a comparison is made of the parameters involved, such as density, water absorption and contaminants ratio within the recycled aggregates and maximum strength allowed for the recycled aggregate concrete, among others.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to estimate and describe the prevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) specific antibodies (immunoglobulin M and/or immunoglobulin G) in Portugal in May-July 2020.Material and Methods: A cross-sectional seroepidemiological survey was developed after the peak of the first epidemic wave on a sample of 2301 Portuguese residents, aged 1 year or older. Survey sample was selected using a two-stage stratified non-probability sampling design (quota sampling). SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G antibodies were measured in serum samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Seroprevalence estimates of immunoglobulin M and/or immunoglobulin G and 95% confidence intervals were stratified by sex, age group, health region and education.Results: Overall, seroprevalence was 2.9% (95% confidence interval: 2.0% - 4.2%). Higher prevalence rates were observed in male (4.1%, 95% confidence interval: 2.6% - 6.6%) and those with secondary education (6.4%, 95% confidence interval: 3.2% - 12.5%). Differences in seroprevalence by age group and region were not statistically significant.Discussion: The estimated seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 was higher than the cumulative incidence reported by the National Surveillance System but far from necessary to reach herd immunity.Conclusion: Our results support limited extent of infection by SARS-CoV-2 in the study population possibly due to early lockdown measures implemented in Portugal and support the need to continue monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in order to increase our knowledge about the evolution of the epidemic and to estimate the proportion of the susceptible population over time.