Using fluorescence in situ hybridization to detect bacterial groups has several inherent limitations. DNA probes are generally used, targeting sites on the 16S rRNA. However, much of the 16S rRNA is highly conserved, with variable regions often located in inaccessible areas where secondary structures can restrict probe access. Here, we describe the use of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes as a ...

In mice, different alleles of the mNAIP5 (murine neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein-5)/mBirc1e gene determine whether macrophages restrict or support intracellular replication of Legionella pneumophila, and whether a mouse is resistant or (moderately) susceptible to Legionella infection. In the resistant mice strains, the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (Nod)-like receptor (NLR) fa...

An antigen prepared with agar-grown Legionella pneumophila group 1 killed by 0.5% phenol and suspended in 0.5% yolk sac was examined for use in the indirect immunofluorescence test for legionellosis and compared with a heat-killed antigen. The serological results of the two antigens for single and paired sera agreed well. Morphological and staining characteristics were better for phenol-treated...

Methods are described for detection of Legionella pneumophila in cooling tower water or other water sources by direct fluorescent-antibody staining. A procedure for isolation of Legionella bacteria from water samples by guinea pig inoculation is described. Two different serogroups of L. pneumophila were isolated repeatedly from one of the cooling towers.

Citation: Sousa PS, Silva IN, Moreira LM, Veríssimo A and Costa J (2018) Differences in Virulence Between Legionella pneumophila Isolates From Human and Non-human Sources Determined in Galleria mellonella Infection Model. Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol. 8:97. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00097 Differences in Virulence Between Legionella pneumophila Isolates From Human and Non-human Sources Determine...

To investigate the regulation of the Legionella pneumophila icm and dot genes required for intracellular growth, a series of nine icm::lacZ fusions were constructed. These icm::lacZ fusions were found to have different levels of expression in L. pneumophila, and five of them were more highly expressed at stationary phase than at exponential phase. When the expression of these fusions in Escheri...

Although cases of community-acquired Legionnaires' disease have been epidemiologically linked to residential water supplies, the risk of acquiring Legionnaires' disease from exposure to Legionella pneumophila in residential water systems is uncertain. The residential water supplies of 218 members of the American Legion in six different geographical areas in Pittsburgh were cultured for L. pneum...

Sequence-based typing (SBT) is a discriminatory method widely used to genotype Legionella pneumophila strains. A total of 86 clinical L. pneumophila serogroup 1 (sg1) isolates, collected between January 2000 and December 2010 in the two Belgian National Reference Centres for Legionella pneumophila, were genotyped using the internationally standardised SBT protocol of the European Working Group ...

Legionella pneumophila, a Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium, causes severe pneumonia (Legionnaires' disease). Type I interferons (IFNs) were so far associated with antiviral immunity, but recent studies also indicated a role of these cytokines in immune responses against (intracellular) bacteria. Here we show that wild-type L. pneumophila and flagellin-deficient Legionella, but ...

Legionnaires' disease is a severe respiratory disease that is estimated to cause between 8,000 and 18,000 hospitalizations each year, though the exact burden is unknown due to under-utilization of diagnostic testing. Although Legionella pneumophila is the most common species detected in clinical cases (80-90%), other species have also been reported to cause disease. However, little is known abo...