Like false-negative results for virus testing, Flinders University experts have found that standard testing for Legionnaires' disease is not always failsafe.
Cell & Microbiology
Feb 21, 2023
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32
They call it Legionella bononiensis: it is the 64th species of Legionella identified worldwide, the second to be isolated in Italy since the discovery of the pathogen. It was discovered in 2019 in a hotel facility by researchers ...
Evolution
Jan 10, 2023
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14
Routine sampling of water supplies and genomic sequencing to determine the entire genetic makeup of Legionella bacteria could play a key role in identifying the source of Legionnaires' disease outbreaks, research suggests.
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 12, 2022
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25
Researchers at Uppsala University have discovered that the ancestors of legionella bacteria infected eukaryotic cells as early as two billion years ago. It happened soon after eukaryotes began to feed on bacteria. These results, ...
Evolution
Feb 15, 2022
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250
From Legionella bacteria and non-tuberculous mycobacteria, safe transport of mains water depends on best practice and good policy, environmental health experts say.
Environment
Nov 1, 2019
1
16
When people fall ill from bacterial infection, the first priority is to treat the disease. But where do these pathogens come from, and how do they thrive in the environment before the infection occurs? An international team ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 15, 2019
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5
The EU-funded CYTO-WATER project has developed an innovative onsite analytical system capable of rapidly detecting different microorganisms in water.
Analytical Chemistry
Nov 15, 2018
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4
A fully automated testing device can now be deployed at water sites suspected of contamination by Legionella bacteria. The device promises more reliable results in less than two hours, with no human intervention.
Analytical Chemistry
Oct 24, 2018
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4
In an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, finding the exact source as quickly as possible is essential to preventing further infections. To date, a standard analysis takes days. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich ...
Analytical Chemistry
Mar 23, 2018
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12
The precise mechanism used by Legionella bacteria to escape the body's defences has been unpicked in intricate detail and is described for the first time in the journal eLife.
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 11, 2017
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13
Legionella is a pathogenic Gram negative bacterium, including species that cause legionellosis or Legionnaires' disease, most notably L. pneumophila. It may be readily visualized with a silver stain.
Legionella is common in many environments, with at least 50 species and 70 serogroups identified. The side-chains of the cell wall carry the bases responsible for the somatic antigen specificity of these organisms. The chemical composition of these side chains both with respect to components as well as arrangement of the different sugars determines the nature of the somatic or O antigen determinants, which are essential means of serologically classifying many Gram-negative bacteria.
Legionella acquired its name after a July, 1976 outbreak of a then-unknown "mystery disease" sickened 221 persons, causing 34 deaths. The outbreak was first noticed among people attending a convention of the American Legion - an association of U.S. military veterans. The convention in question occurred in Philadelphia during the U.S. Bicentennial year. This epidemic among U.S. war veterans, occurring in the same city as – and within days of the 200th anniversary of – the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was widely publicized and caused great concern in the United States. On January 18, 1977 the causative agent was identified as a previously unknown bacterium, subsequently named Legionella. See Legionnaires' Disease for full details.
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