Review
Microbiology
Xin Yin, Ying-Zhou Chen, Qi-Qing Ye, Li-Juan Liao, Zhuo-Rui Cai, Min Lin, Jia-Na Li, Geng-Biao Zhang, Xiao-Li Peng, Wen-Fang Shi, Xu-Guang Guo
Summary: Legionellosis remains a public health problem, with PCR showing high efficiency and accuracy in detecting L. pneumophila. Analysis of 18 four-fold tables from 16 studies revealed a sensitivity of 94% for PCR in diagnosing L. pneumophila.
ANNALS OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND ANTIMICROBIALS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
David Otto Schwake, Todd Sandrin, Lin Zhang, Morteza Abbaszadegan
Summary: This study developed a Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis methodology for rapid and cost-effective characterization of Legionella. Optimal sample preparation methods were determined and implemented to achieve strain-level characterization of environmental Legionella isolates. The results demonstrate the potential for sub-species characterization of Legionella using this technique with significant benefits over established methodologies.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Courtney Marin, Ogan K. Kumova, Shira Ninio
Summary: Legionella pneumophila is a pathogen that causes severe pneumonia and can survive in the environment by forming biofilms. The gene bffA appears to play a role in regulating biofilm formation, motility, cellular replication, and virulence of L. pneumophila.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Maura J. Donohue, Maily Pham, Stephanie Brown, Kaveri M. Easwaran, Stephen Vesper, Jatin H. Mistry
Summary: This study investigated the detection methods of Legionella pneumophila in tap water samples in buildings across the United States and their performance under different water quality conditions. The results showed variations in method performance when using three culture methods and one molecular method. Water quality influenced the detection results of L. pneumophila, especially the total organic carbon and heterotrophic bacterial counts were positively correlated with its detection frequency. Therefore, water quality should be considered when selecting L. pneumophila detection methods.
Article
Microbiology
Maria Rosaria Pascale, Francesco Bisognin, Marta Mazzotta, Luna Girolamini, Federica Marino, Paola Dal Monte, Miriam Cordovana, Maria Scaturro, Maria Luisa Ricci, Sandra Cristino
Summary: Legionella pneumophila is a common bacteria causing severe pneumonia. Traditional methods for its identification are not accurate enough, while mass spectrometry and infrared spectroscopy have been proven to be rapid and effective. This study evaluated an infrared spectroscopy system and found an accuracy of 95.49%. This method is superior to traditional agglutination tests and can be used to trace the infection source and implement control strategies.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Darja Kese, Aljosa Obreza, Tereza Rojko, Tjasa Cerar Kisek
Summary: Legionella pneumophila is the causative agent of severe Legionnaires' disease (LD), and there is limited data on the molecular epidemiology in Slovenia. A retrospective study from 2006 to 2020 found 4.6% of pneumonia patients in Slovenia tested positive for L. pneumophila infection, with the most frequent sequence types being ST1 and ST23. Sequence-based typing identified 33 different sequence types, showing a high diversity among isolates.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Jamie Gorzynski, Bryan Wee, Melissa Llano, Joana Alves, Ross Cameron, Jim McMenamin, Andrew Smith, Diane Lindsay, J. Ross Fitzgerald
Summary: Through whole-genome sequencing, this study investigates the evolutionary and epidemiological relationships of Legionella pneumophila isolates in Scotland over 36 years. The analysis reveals the presence of endemic clones in hospital, community, and travel-associated environments, and suggests the importance of redefining cluster and outbreak definitions. The study highlights the significance of whole-genome sequencing in real-time identification and mitigation of clinically important endemic clones.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael D. Paxhia, Michele S. Swanson, Diana M. Downs
Summary: The Thi5-dependent pathway is essential for thiamine biosynthesis in Legionella pneumophila, where the bacterial ortholog LpThi5 functions successfully in Salmonella enterica. LpThi5 is a dimeric protein that binds with PLP, and its function is modulated by residues in conserved sequence motifs across bacterial and eukaryotic orthologs.
MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Alicia Y. W. Wong, Alexander T. A. Johnsson, Aina Iversen, Simon Athlin, Volkan Ozenci
Summary: The study evaluated the performance of four different urinary antigen tests for the detection of Legionella urinary antigen. While these tests performed well in detecting samples from L. pneumophila serogroup 1-positive patients, they showed poor performance in detecting samples from other Legionella species or serogroups. The automatic and visual interpretation of result bands showed high concordance.
Article
Chemistry, Analytical
Mariacristina Gagliardi, Matteo Agostini, Francesco Lunardelli, Leonardo Lamanna, Alessio Miranda, Agostino Bazzichi, Antonella Giuliana Luminare, Fabrizio Cervelli, Francesca Gambineri, Michele Totaro, Michele Lai, Giuseppantonio Maisetta, Giovanna Batoni, Mauro Pistello, Marco Cecchini
Summary: SAW-based immuno-biosensors have versatile applications and faster response than conventional methods. A SAW immuno-biosensor is developed to detect Legionella pneumophila in water using an anti-L. pneumophila antibody. The device shows good detection performance with limited interference from contamination, and it can be applied in mains water for practical use.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS B-CHEMICAL
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Valeria Iliadi, Jeni Staykova, Sergios Iliadis, Ina Konstantinidou, Polina Sivykh, Gioulia Romanidou, Daniil F. Vardikov, Dimitrios Cassimos, Theocharis G. Konstantinidis
Summary: Legionella spp. is a potentially fatal bacterium that can cause pneumonia and can be transmitted through inhalation of aerosols. It can invade various organs and cause severe manifestations, including septic shock.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marietta S. Kaspers, Vivian Pogenberg, Christian Pett, Stefan Ernst, Felix Ecker, Philipp Ochtrop, Michael Groll, Christian Hedberg, Aymelt Itzen
Summary: In this study, the authors uncover the mechanism and substrate recognition of Legionella effector Lem3, which removes a phosphocholine moiety from the human protein Rab1 during infection. They present the crystal structure of the stabilised Lem3:Rab1b complex, revealing the catalytic mechanism and substrate recognition of PPM phosphatases shaped Lem3. This research is of significant importance for understanding bacterial pathogenesis and protein substrate recognition.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jungang Du, Biao Ma, Jiali Li, Yaping Wang, Tianyu Dou, Shujuan Xu, Mingzhou Zhang
Summary: This study developed an easy and rapid method to specifically distinguish Legionella pneumophila and non-Legionella pneumophila. The method utilizes recombinase polymerase amplification reaction and EuNPs-based lateral flow immunochromatography, achieving high sensitivity and accurate results.
FRONTIERS IN CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Tao-Tao Chen, Si-Ru Zheng, Li Tian, Sunliang Lv, Wenhong Zhong, Xiangliang Li, Dandan Zhang, Xuexing Zheng, Songying Ouyang
Summary: Legionella pneumophila, a pathogenic bacterium causing Legionnaires' disease, secretes Lgt family effectors that inhibit protein synthesis in human cells by specific glycosylation of eEF1A. In this study, the structural basis of the action mechanism of Lgt family effectors is revealed. Lgt2 interacts with negatively charged regions in eEF1A, while Lgt1 interacts with a negatively charged surface to inhibit host unfolded protein response. These findings provide insights into the role of glycosyltransferase in Legionella's lifecycle.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Styliani Dimitra Papagianeli, Zafeiro Aspridou, Spyros Didos, Dimosthenis Chochlakis, Anna Psaroulaki, Konstantinos Koutsoumanis
Summary: A predictive mathematical model was developed to describe the effect of temperature on the inactivation of Legionella pneumophila in water. The model was validated under dynamic temperature conditions and shown to effectively predict pathogen inactivation and translate water temperature profiles to cell number reduction. This model, used in combination with temperature monitoring, can provide an integrated preventive approach for effective control of Legionella pneumophila in plumbing systems.
