The prevalence of seropositivity to Legionella species was studied in 184 children with bronchial asthma and 80 control children, age and sex matched, without respiratory tract infections. The sera were examined by indirect immunofluorescence with antigens of six Legionella species. The asthmatic children showed a significantly high percentage of seroreactions to L pneumophila compared with the...

Reversible focal lesions on the splenium of the corpus callosum (SCC) have been reported in patients with mild encephalitis/encephalopathy caused by various infectious agents, such as influenza, mumps, adenovirus, Varicella zoster, Escherichia coli, Legionella pneumophila, and Staphylococcus aureus. We report a case of a reversible SCC lesion causing reversible encephalopathy in nonfulminant he...

It has been analyzed 36 samples of water proceeding from beach shower facilities: 7 of these were found to be contaminated with Legionella (19.44%). In three showers, L. pneumophila 1 was reported, in two L. pneumophila 2-14; in another two cases L. pneumophila 2-14 was found together with Legionella sp. and L. pneumoplhila 1 together with L. pneumophila 2-14. This study, which confirms the cir...

Endogenous lipoid pneumonia is an uncommon condition. This is a report of a 29-year-old woman diagnosed with endogenous lipoid pneumonia associated with Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 infection. The patient's endogenous lipoid pneumonia resolved completely after treatment for Legionella pneumophila infection. This suggests that early diagnosis and aggressive treatment of the underlying infe...

Fluorescent resonance energy transfer probes targeting the 16S rRNA gene were constructed for a sensitive and specific real-time PCR for identification and differentiation of Legionella pneumophila from other Legionella spp. For identification of non-L. pneumophila spp. by direct amplicon sequencing, two conventional PCR assays targeting the mip gene were established.

UNLABELLED Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, uses the Dot/Icm type IV secretion system (T4SS) to translocate more than 300 effectors into host cells, where they subvert host cell signaling. The function and host cell targets of most effectors remain unknown. PieE is a 69-kDa Dot/Icm effector containing three coiled-coil (CC) regions and 2 transmembrane (TM) h...

A fatal pneumonia due to Legionella pneumophila was diagnosed in a young calf reared in a dairy herd located in northern Italy. Clinical symptoms consisted of watery diarrhea, hyperthermia, anorexia, and severe dyspnea. The pathological and histological findings were very similar to those observed in human legionellosis. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (SG1) and SG10 were isolated from the c...

Cooling towers (CTs) are a leading source of outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease (LD), a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhalation of aerosols containing Legionella bacteria. Accordingly, proper maintenance of CTs is vital for the prevention of LD. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of Legionella in a subset of regionally diverse US CTs and characterize the associated mi...

BACKGROUND Legionella pneumonia has long been recognized as an important cause of community-acquired pneumonia associated with significant morbidity and mortality; however, the description of the incidence of this disease is restricted to sporadic cases in the literature. With the advent of an inexpensive and rapid urine antigen test, routine testing has become more common. We report findings o...

Legionella pneumophila, a causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, is a facultative intracellular parasite of freshwater protozoa. Legionella pneumophila features a unique developmental network that involves several developmental forms including the infectious cyst forms. Reservoirs of L. pneumophila include natural and man-made freshwater systems; however, recent studies have shown that isola...