Publications

[legionellosis in ul'ianovsk region].	the increasingly frequent introduction of new infectious diseases poses the problem of their prophylaxis, prevention of secondary distribution and establishment. current epidemiologic situation is characterized by the occurrence of rare infections including legionellosis. data on the prevalence of this disease in ulyanovsk region are presented for the period from 2008 to the first half of 2009. the patients were infected during their hajj pilgrimage to saudi arabia. the clinical picture resemble ...	2011	21516771
contamination of the cold water distribution system of health care facilities by legionella pneumophila: do we know the true dimension?		2011	21527132
clinical, epidemiological, and etiological profile of inpatients with community-acquired pneumonia at a general hospital in the sumaré microregion of brazil.	objective: to analyze the clinical, etiological, and epidemiological aspects of community-acquired pneumonia (cap) in hospitalized individuals. methods: we prospectively studied 66 patients (> 14 years of age) with cap admitted to the hospital estadual sumaré, located in the sumaré microregion of brazil, between october of 2005 and september of 2007. we collected data related to clinical history, physical examination, pneumonia severity index (psi) scores, and laboratory tests (blood culture; sp ...	2011	21537656
isolation and identification of legionella and their host amoebae from weak alkaline carbonate spring water using a culture method combined with pcr.	legionella were detected with the direct dna extraction method, legionella culture method, and free-living amoebae (fla) culture method from weak alkaline carbonate spring water in taiwan. moreover, we also investigated the existence of acanthamoeba, hartmannella, and naegleria, ubiquitous fla in aquatic environments, to identify the correlations between existing legionella. this study reports detecting legionella in 15 of the 51 weak alkaline carbonate spring water samples (29.4%). this work al ...	2011	21537990
screening-level assays for potentially human-infectious environmental legionella spp.	in spite of the fact that various legionella species are isolated from nonclinical water settings, there is no standard method to determine whether environmental legionellae may be infectious to humans. here we provide a screening-level approach based on an in vivo murine (a/j mouse) model and three in vitro proliferation assays using acanthamoeba polyphaga, and thp-1 human and j774 murine macrophage cell lines to identify potentially human-infectious legionellae. as an initial demonstration the ...	2011	21538239
whole-body imaging of infection using fluorescence.	optical imaging is emerging as a powerful tool to study physiological, neurological, oncological, cell biological, molecular, developmental, immunological, and infectious processes. this unit describes the use of fluorescent reporters for biological organisms, components, or events. we describe the application of fluorescence imaging to examination of infectious processes, in particular subcutaneous and pulmonary bacterial infections, but the same approaches are applicable to nearly any infectio ...	2011	21538304
protein expression, crystallization and preliminary x-ray crystallographic studies of lida from legionella pneumophila.	lida, a translocated substrate of the legionella pneumophila dot/icm type iv secretion system, is associated with maintenance of bacterial integrity and interferes with the early secretory pathway. however, the precise mechanism of lida in these processes remains elusive. to further investigate the structure and function of lida, the full-length protein was successfully expressed in escherichia coli and purified. lida was crystallized using sitting-drop vapour diffusion and diffracted to a resol ...	2011	21543880
deletion of the murine scavenger receptor cd68.	scavenger receptors (scrs) are a structurally unrelated family of receptors with the ability to bind modified low density lipoproteins (ldls), as well as a broad range of polyanionic ligands. cd68, whose expression is restricted to mononuclear phagocytes, is a unique scr family member, owing to its lamp-like domain and predominant endosomal distribution. knockout mice were generated to directly evaluate the role murine cd68 may play in oxidized ldl (ox-ldl) uptake. however, cd68[-/-] macrophages ...	2011	21572087
legionella jordanis in hematopoietic sct patients radiographically mimicking invasive mold infection.	opportunistic pulmonary infections are a major cause of post-transplant morbidity and mortality. among these infections, aspergillus is a common cause of fatal pneumonia. owing to the precarious clinical condition of many patients who acquire invasive mold infections, clinicians often treat them on the basis of radiographic findings, such as the halo sign. however, in patients who do not respond to treatment or who have uncommon presentations, bronchoscopy or lung biopsy looking for other pathog ...	2011	21572462
in the case of transmission of mycobacterium ulcerans in buruli ulcer disease acanthamoeba species stand accused.	buruli ulcer disease caused by mycobacterium ulcerans results in extensive destruction of skin and soft tissue and long-term functional disabilities that ultimately require surgery and rehabilitation. the disease is associated with aquatic and swampy environments with the mycobacterium occurring in biofilms, soil, aquatic insects, fish and wildlife however, the mode of transmission to humans remains an enigma. current transmission ideas including bites from predatory water bugs and mosquitoes, d ...	2011	21572823
recovery of legionella species from water samples using an internal method based on iso 11731: suggestions for revision and implementation.	the study aim was to determine retrospectively whether the parallel use of 2 media [buffered charcoal yeast extract (bcye) and medium of wadowsky and yee (mwy)] to isolate legionella spp. from water samples taken from hospital water supply systems increased the sensitivity of the culture method as compared with methods/protocols in which only seeding on a selective medium is used. we analyzed the results obtained from 931 positive water samples. in 484 of the 931 positive water samples, legionel ...	2011	21596223
activity of finafloxacin, a novel fluoroquinolone with increased activity at acid ph, towards extracellular and intracellular staphylococcus aureus, listeria monocytogenes and legionella pneumophila.	finafloxacin, an 8-cyano-substituted fluoroquinolone, expresses enhanced activity at acidic ph and is less susceptible to several fluoroquinolone resistance determinants. in this study, we compared finafloxacin and ciprofloxacin for (i) activity against ciprofloxacin-susceptible and -resistant staphylococcus aureus as well as wild-type and lde efflux-positive (lde+) listeria monocytogenes, (ii) accumulation in thp-1 macrophages and (iii) intracellular activity towards phagocytised s. aureus, l. ...	2011	21596526
[contamination of health care institutions environmental objects by legionella pneumophila].	aim. the extent of environmental objects contamination by legionella pneumophila in nizhny novgorod and nizhny novgorod region hospitals evaluation, and detection of potentially hazardous objects.	2011	21598621
sensitive sequence-specific molecular identification system comprising an aluminum micro-nanofluidic chip and associated real-time confocal detector.	we developed a micro-nanofluidic bioreactor-detector system for isothermal dna amplification and sensitive real-time detection of the amplified products for sequence-specific molecular identification. aluminum (al) chips with a range of volumes from 7.07μl to 39nl and an associated real-time confocal optical detector are described. the detector provided highly sensitive fluorescence detection and low background noise. one of the important aspects of the system was the development of a surface pr ...	2011	21601025
environmental surveillance and molecular characterization of legionella in tropical singapore.	legionnaires' disease is often acquired by inhalation of legionellae from a contaminated environmental source. in recent years, singapore has seen an increase in the use of aerosol-generating fixtures such as mist fans and spa pools. poorly maintained and designed water fixtures could pose a public health threat to the community. in this study, we provided an update on the prevalence of legionella in mist fans (n=28), household water heaters with storage tanks (n=19) and instantaneous heaters (n ...	2011	21602781
[sequence-based typing of enviromental legionella pneumophila isolates in guangzhou].	to characterize the genes of legionella pneumophila isolated from different water source in guangzhou from 2006 to 2009. to genotype the strains by using sequence-based typing (sbt) scheme.	2011	21604546
automated immunomagnetic processing and separation of legionella pneumophila with manual detection by sandwich elisa and pcr amplification of the omps gene.	the culture-independent and automated detection of bacteria in the environment is a scientific and technological challenge. for detection alone, a number of sensitive methods are known (e.g., pcr, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [elisa], fluorescent in situ hybridization) but a major problem remaining is the enrichment and separation of the bacteria that usually occur at low concentrations. here, we present an automated capturing and separation system, which can easily be combined with one of ...	2011	21609698
dispersion of legionella-containing aerosols from a biological treatment plant,norway.	legionella was detected in aeration ponds (biological treatment plant) at borregaard ind. ltd., norway, and in air samples harvested directly above these ponds. since 2005, three outbreaks of legionellosis occurred within a 10 km radius from this plant. this work addresses the dispersion patterns of legionella-containing particles by characterizing the aerosol plume emitted from these ponds (outbreak source) less than 500 meters using wind-tunnel measurements, cfd simulations, and real-life meas ...	2011	21622136
investigation of the legionella pneumophila population structure by analysis of tandem repeat copy number and internal sequence variation.	the population structure of the legionella pneumophila species was investigated by multilocus variable number of tandem repeats (vntr) analysis (mlva) and sequencing of three vntrs (lpms01, lpms04, and lpms13) in selected strains. one hundred and thirty-six out of 150 (86 %) isolates from diverse origins were distributed into seven large mlva clonal complexes (vaccs) and the rest were either unique or formed small clusters of up to three mlva genotypes. in spite of the lower degree of genome wid ...	2011	21622529
profile of bacterial pneumonia during hajj.	background & objectives : the congregation of a large number of people during hajj seasons from different parts of the world in overcrowded conditions within a confined area for a long period of time presents many public health challenges and health risks. one of the main health problems of the crowding is ease transmission of pneumonia by air droplets. this study was aimed to determine the most common causes of bacterial pneumonia during the 2005 hajj season and to relate the findings with clin ...	2011	21623036
high ferritin and myoglobin level in legionella pneumonia: a case report and review of literature.	legionella pneumophila is a cause of both community- and hospital-acquired pneumonia and might cause high morbidity and mortality. therefore, early diagnosis and treatment with appropriate antibiotics is crucial. many clinical and laboratory abnormalities can be observed in the course of legionella pneumonia. in this study, we aimed to present simultaneously increased serum ferritin and myoglobin level in a legionella case with reference to the relevant literature.	2011	21623098
death or survival from invasive pneumococcal disease in scotland: associations with serogroups and multilocus sequence types.	we describe associations between death from invasive pneumococcal disease (ipd) and particular serogroups and sequence types (sts) determined by multilocus sequence typing (mlst) using data from scotland. all ipd episodes where blood or cerebrospinal fluid (csf) culture isolates were referred to the scottish haemophilus, legionella, meningococcal and pneumococcal reference laboratory (shlmprl) from january 1992 to february 2007 were matched to death certification records by the general register ...	2011	21393453
sporadic legionnaires' disease: the role of domestic electric hot-water tanks.	summarysporadic community-acquired legionellosis (scal) can be acquired through contaminated aerosols from residential potable water. electricity-dependent hot-water tanks are widely used in the province of quebec (canada) and have been shown to be frequently contaminated with legionella spp. we prospectively investigated the homes of culture-proven scal patients from quebec in order to establish the proportion of patients whose domestic potable hot-water system was contaminated with the same le ...	2011	21396146
detection of mycoplasma pneumoniae, chlamydia pneumoniae, and legionella spp. in clinical specimens using a single-tube multiplex real-time pcr assay.	a multiplex real-time pcr assay for the detection of mycoplasma pneumoniae (mp181), chlamydia (chlamydophila) pneumoniae (cp-arg), legionella spp. (pan-leg), and the human rnase p (rnase p) gene was developed for rapid testing of atypical bacterial respiratory pathogens in clinical specimens. this method uses 4 distinct hydrolysis probes to detect 3 leading causes of community-acquired pneumonia. the assay was evaluated for specificity and sensitivity by testing against 35 related organisms, a d ...	2011	21397428
legionella nagasakiensis sp. nov., isolated from water samples in japan and australia and from a patient with pneumonia in the united states.	a novel legionella species was identified based on 16s rrna and mip (macrophage infectivity potentiator) gene sequencing analysis, cellular fatty acids, isoprenoid quinones, biochemical reactions, antigens, and quantitative dna-dna hybridization. the strain cdc-1796-jap-e(t) was isolated from well water at the nagassaki municipal medical center, japan. two strains, cdc-3041-aus-e and cdc-3558-aus-e, were isolated from water samples during an outbreak of legionellosis in south australia. the stra ...	2011	21398499
community-acquired pneumonia due to legionella pneumophila, the utility of pcr, and a review of the antibiotics used.	there are at least 40 types of legionella bacteria, half of which are capable of producing disease in humans. the legionella pneumophila bacterium, the root cause of legionnaires' disease, causes 90% of legionellosis cases.	2011	21403787
comprehensive identification of protein substrates of the dot/icm type iv transporter of legionella pneumophila.	a large number of proteins transferred by the legionella pneumophila dot/icm system have been identified by various strategies. with no exceptions, these strategies are based on one or more characteristics associated with the tested proteins. given the high level of diversity exhibited by the identified proteins, it is possible that some substrates have been missed in these screenings. in this study, we took a systematic method to survey the l. pneumophila genome by testing hypothetical orfs lar ...	2011	21408005
sequencing illustrates the transcriptional response of legionella pneumophila during infection and identifies seventy novel small non-coding rnas.	second generation sequencing has prompted a number of groups to re-interrogate the transcriptomes of several bacterial and archaeal species. one of the central findings has been the identification of complex networks of small non-coding rnas that play central roles in transcriptional regulation in all growth conditions and for the pathogen's interaction with and survival within host cells. legionella pneumophila is a gram-negative facultative intracellular human pathogen with a distinct biphasic ...	2011	21408607
assessing maintenance of evaporative cooling systems in legionellosis outbreaks.	this study was designed to conduct systematic reviews of existing evaporative cooling system maintenance guidelines and of published legionnaires' disease outbreaks to determine what, if any, maintenance practices were in place at the time of the disease outbreaks and then to contrast the reported practices with the published guidelines for evaporative cooling systems. for the first review, similarities in the reported recommendations were assessed; in the second review, any reported information ...	2011	21416443
interaction of legionella pneumophila and helicobacter pylori with bacterial species isolated from drinking water biofilms.	it is well established that legionella pneumophila is a waterborne pathogen; by contrast, the mode of helicobacter pylori transmission remains unknown but water seems to play an important role. this work aims to study the influence of five microorganisms isolated from drinking water biofilms on the survival and integration of both of these pathogens into biofilms.	2011	21418578
adult outpatient experience of the 2009 h1n1 pandemic: clinical course, pathogens, and evaluation of case definitions.	the aim was to describe causative agents and clinical characteristics in adult outpatients with upper airway symptoms during the 2009 h1n1 pandemic and to evaluate case definitions that are used in clinical practice.	2011	21420427
[adequacy of the admissions and care provided to the patients with community-acquired pneumonia].	the purpose of this study has been to know the adequacy of the hospital admissions of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (cap), applying the fine modified forecast classification rule and if patient care is performed in accordance with the indicators for quality by the infectious diseases society of america (idsa) recommendations.	2011	21420665
lcl of legionella pneumophila is an immunogenic gag binding adhesin that promotes interactions with lung epithelial cells and plays a crucial role in biofilm formation.	legionellosis is mostly caused by legionella pneumophila and is defined by a severe respiratory illness with a case fatality rate ranging from 5 to 80%. in vitro and in vivo, interactions of l. pneumophila with lung epithelial cells are mediated by the sulfated glycosaminoglycans (gags) of the host extracellular matrix. in this study, we have identified several legionella heparin binding proteins. we have shown that one of these proteins, designated lcl, is a polymorphic adhesin of l. pneumophil ...	2011	21422183
legionella--fighting a resourceful foe.	in a presentation given at a recent iheem seminar, "total water management within healthcare premises", held at london's royal society of arts, david harper, one of the uk's leading independent experts in legionella, waterborne contamination prevention, and emergency response, described how the bacterium and its effects were first "discovered", offered valuable advice on how to minimise the risk of its growth and spread, and highlighted some of the alarming findings he had seen throughout a long ...	2011	21425711
[genetic diversity of legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 in hospital water distribution systems in shanghai].	to classify legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (lp1) isolated from the water distribution systems in hospitals of shanghai by using genotying methods, and therefore to explore the genetic relationship between different genotypes.	2011	21426726
controlled and oriented immobilization of protein by site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acid.	immobilization of proteins in a functionally active form and proper orientation is crucial for effective surface-based analysis of proteins. here we present a general method for controlled and oriented immobilization of protein by site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acid and click chemistry. the utility and potential of this method was demonstrated by applying it to the analysis of interaction between a pathogenic protein drra of legionella pneumophila and its binding partner rab1 of ...	2011	21428414
hepatocyte growth factor levels in legionella pneumonia: a retrospective study.	hepatocyte growth factor (hgf) is known to be involved in the resolution of pulmonary inflammation and repair of acute lung injury. legionella pneumonia is sometimes complicated by acute lung injury. our study aimed to determine the role of serum hgf levels in legionella pneumonia.	2011	21429184
parameters predictive of legionella contamination in hot water systems: association with trace elements and heterotrophic plate counts.	the contamination of hot water samples with legionella spp. was studied in relation to temperature, total hardness, trace element concentrations (iron, zinc, manganese, and copper) and heterotrophic plate counts (hpc) at both 22 and 37 °c. factor analysis and receiver operating characteristic (roc) curves were used to establish the cut-off of water parameters as predictors for legionella contamination. legionella spp. was isolated in 194 out of 408 samples (47.5%), with legionella pneumophila be ...	2011	21316728
protein kinase legk2 is a type iv secretion system effector involved in endoplasmic reticulum recruitment and intracellular replication of legionella pneumophila.	legionella pneumophila is the etiological agent of legionnaires' disease. crucial to the pathogenesis of this intracellular pathogen is its ability to subvert host cell defenses, permitting intracellular replication in specialized vacuoles within host cells. the dot/icm type iv secretion system (t4ss), which translocates a large number of bacterial effectors into host cell, is absolutely required for rerouting the legionella phagosome. many legionella effectors display distinctive eukaryotic dom ...	2011	21321072
quantification of viable legionella pneumophila cells using propidium monoazide combined with quantitative pcr.	one of the greatest challenges of implementing fast molecular detection methods as part of legionella surveillance systems is to limit detection to live cells. in this work, a protocol for sample treatment with propidium monoazide (pma) in combination with quantitative pcr (qpcr) has been optimized and validated for l. pneumophila as an alternative of the currently used time-consuming culture method. results from pma-qpcr were compared with culture isolation and traditional qpcr. under the condi ...	2011	21329735
[diversity of legionella pneumophila in cooling towers: coculture kinetics and virulence studies].	legionella pneumophila (l. pneumophila) was isolated from three cooling towers involved in three community outbreaks of legionnaires´ disease. each cooling tower had two different chromosomal dna subtypes. however, only one matched identically to the clinical strains. to try to understand why only one of the environmental strains caused clinical cases we investigated the intrinsic virulence of these strains.	2011	21339025
nonhematopoietic cells are key players in innate control of bacterial airway infection.	airborne pathogens encounter several hurdles during host invasion, including alveolar macrophages (ams) and airway epithelial cells (aecs) and their products. although growing evidence indicates pathogen-sensing capacities of epithelial cells, the relative contribution of hematopoietic versus nonhematopoietic cells in the induction of an inflammatory response and their possible interplay is still poorly defined in vivo in the context of infections with pathogenic microorganisms. in this study, w ...	2011	21270399
characterisation of legionella pneumophila phospholipases and their impact on host cells.	phospholipases are a diverse class of enzymes produced both by eukaryotic hosts and their pathogens. major insights into action pathways of bacterial phospholipases have been provided during the last years. on the one hand bacterial phospholipases act as potent membrane destructors and on the other hand they manipulate and initiate host signalling paths, such as chemokine expression or the inflammatory cascade. reaction products of bacterial phospholipases may potentially influence many more hos ...	2011	21342713
retraction. inhibition of akt/gsk3ß signalling pathway by legionella pneumophila is involved in induction of t-cell apoptosis.		2011	21348858
the professional phagocyte dictyostelium discoideum as a model host for bacterial pathogens.	the use of simple hosts such as dictyostelium discoideum in the study of host pathogen interactions offers a number of advantages and has steadily increased in recent years. infection-specific genes can often only be studied in a very limited way in man and even in the mouse model their analysis is usually expensive, time consuming and technically challenging or sometimes even impossible. in contrast, their functional analysis in d. discoideum and other simple model organisms is often easier, fa ...	2011	21366522
dsba2 (27 kda com1-like protein) of legionella pneumophila catalyses extracytoplasmic disulphide-bond formation in proteins including the dot/icm type iv secretion system.	in gram-negative bacteria, thiol oxidoreductases catalyse the formation of disulphide bonds (dsb) in extracytoplasmic proteins. in this study, we sought to identify dsb-forming proteins required for assembly of macromolecular structures in legionella pneumophila. here we describe two dsb-forming proteins, one annotated as dsba1 and the other annotated as a 27 kda outer membrane protein similar to com1 of coxiella burnetii, which we designate as dsba2. both proteins are predicted to be periplasmi ...	2011	21375592
legionella pneumophila type ii secretion dampens the cytokine response of infected macrophages and epithelia.	the type ii secretion (t2s) system of legionella pneumophila is required for the ability of the bacterium to grow within the lungs of a/j mice. by utilizing mutants lacking t2s (lsp), we now document that t2s promotes the intracellular infection of both multiple types of macrophages and lung epithelia. following infection of macrophages, lsp mutants (but not a complemented mutant) elicited significantly higher levels of interleukin 6 (il-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (tnf-+¦), il-10, il-8, il- ...	2011	21383054
secreted bacterial effectors that inhibit host protein synthesis are critical for induction of the innate immune response to virulent legionella pneumophila.	the intracellular bacterial pathogen legionella pneumophila causes an inflammatory pneumonia called legionnaires' disease. for virulence, l. pneumophila requires a dot/icm type iv secretion system that translocates bacterial effectors to the host cytosol. l. pneumophila lacking the dot/icm system is recognized by toll-like receptors (tlrs), leading to a canonical nf-+¦b-dependent transcriptional response. in addition, l. pneumophila expressing a functional dot/icm system potently induces unique ...	2011	21390206
differential growth of legionella pneumophila strains within a range of amoebae at various temperatures associated with in-premise plumbing.	aims: the potential effect of in-premise plumbing temperatures (24, 32, 37 and 41 °c) on the growth of five different l. pneumophila strains within free-living amoebae (acanthamoeba polyphaga, hartmannella vermiformis and naegleria fowleri) was examined. methods and results: compared to controls that actively fed on e. coli prey, when l. pneumophila was used as prey, strains lp02 and bloomington-2 increased in growth at 30, 32 and 37 °c while strains philadelphia-1 and chicago 2 did not grow a ...	2011	21623847
usefulness of real-time pcr as a complementary tool to the monitoring of legionella spp. and l. pneumophila by culture in industrial cooling systems.	aims: this study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of quantification by real-time pcr as a management tool to monitor concentrations of legionella spp. and legionella pneumophila in industrial cooling systems and its ability to anticipate culture trends by the french standard method (afnor t90-431). methods and results: quantifications of legionella bacteria were achieved by both methods on samples from nine cooling systems with different water qualities. proportion of positive samples f ...	2011	21624019
pcr methods for the rapid detection and identification of four pathogenic legionella spp. and two legionella pneumophila subspecies based on the gene amplification of gyrb.	a total of 25 gyrb gene sequences from 20 legionella pneumophila subsp. pneumophila strains and five l. pneumophila subsp. fraseri strains were obtained and analyzed, and a multiplex pcr for the simultaneous detection of legionella bozemanae, legionella longbeachae, legionella micdadei and legioenella pneumophila, and two single pcrs for the differentiation of l. pneumophila subsp. pneumophila and l. pneumophila subsp. fraseri were established. the multiplex pcr method was shown to be highly spe ...	2011	21626022
[legionella : how well is the problem understood, how well is it controlled, and how good are the regulations?]		2011	21626369
[legionella in drinking water : outcomes of an exchange of ideas on the prevention of waterborne legionellosis.]	although much is known about legionella and the illness they cause, the relationship between their concentration in water and the risk of infection remains unclear. a comprehensive body of experience shows that the growth of legionella in heated water distribution systems can be effectively controlled by following the preventive measures described in the generally acknowledged codes of practice. as orientation to trigger action, a technical action level of 100 colony-forming units in 100 ml wate ...	2011	21626370
[epidemiology of legionnaires' disease in germany.]	legionnaires' disease (ld) is a severe form of pneumonia which is caused by bacteria of the genus legionella. they are widespread in fresh water and can also colonize technical water systems where they might present an infection risk. since 2001, notification of laboratory-confirmed ld is mandatory in germany. from 2001-2009, a total of 3672 cases of ld were registered. during the first 7 years, case numbers increased (2001: 127; 2007: 536 cases) but have remained stable during the past 2 years ...	2011	21626371
[community-acquired legionella pneumonia : data from the capnetz study.]	legionella are present in the environment as well as in biofilms of water installation systems. most legionella live in amoebae. more than 51 different species of legionella have been identified; however, most pneumonias are caused by legionella pneumophila serogroup 1. legionnaire's disease has an incidence of about 4% in germany. most cases of legionnaire's disease are sporadic. microbiological identification of legionella can be achieved by cultivation of legionella spp. on specific media, pe ...	2011	21626372
[legionella pneumophila : genetic diversity of patients and environmental isolates.]	legionellae are environmental bacteria that can be frequently isolated from technical water supply systems. the most prevalent species is legionella pneumophila, especially serogroup 1. in the environment, legionellae multiply in amoebae. since legionella pneumonias cannot be distinguished from pneumonias caused by other microbial pathogens, special microbiological tests, e.g., urinary antigen assays, are essential to detect legionella infections. all water supply systems to which the patient is ...	2011	21626373
[experience with prevention and control of legionellosis in germany : plea for proactive risk management.]	legionellosis is meanwhile the most important specific water-associated infectious disease in developed countries, which is completely preventable, if water distribution systems are correctly planned and operated. this assumes clear criteria for risk regulation and for verification, including microbiological monitoring for legionella. there are different reactive and proactive strategies in the usa and in europe. the common premises for prevention and control of legionellosis in germany, relevan ...	2011	21626374
[practical and legal aspects on the presence of legionella in drinking water installations.]	a drinking water installation is often only a small component of building engineering systems and in general practice it is rarely the focus of the work of local personnel. there are not only the specifications of manufacturers, but also numerous "generally accepted rules of technology" must be complied with when operating these building engineering systems. the foremost ones pertinent to this topic are discussed in this article. however, noncompliance with the "generally accepted rules of techn ...	2011	21626375
[generally accepted engineering standards and legionella in drinking water : findings from frankfurt am main.]	to investigate the association between the engineering standards of drinking water systems and the extent of the legionella colonization, we subjected our 2006 published data of the drinking water monitoring of the city's public health services for frankfurt on main, germany, to closer analysis. a total of 413 records were available, with both technical data and results of the legionella colonization. when comparing the classes of technical deficiencies of the drinking water installations with t ...	2011	21626376
legionellosis prevention in france.	since 1997, both the prevention of legionellosis and the control of legionella in water networks and cooling towers have greatly improved in france. the epidemiological surveillance of legionnaires' disease showed an increase, which was followed by a decrease in the incidence after a maximum was reached in 2005 (incidence rate of 2.5 per 10(5)). a steady decrease in the incidence rate has been observed since 2006, mainly due to the efficacy of control measures both for cooling towers and hospita ...	2011	21626377
retraction: molecular characterization of legionella pneumophila-induced interleukin-8 expression in t cells.	abstract: retraction after lengthy investigation by the editors, the original article [1] has been retracted because of inappropriate duplication of images from previously published articles. the last author, naoki mori takes full responsibility and apologizes for any inconvenience caused. references 1. takamatsu r, teruya h, takeshima e, ishikawa c, matsumoto k, mukaida n, li j-d, heuner k, higa f, fujita j, mori n: molecular characterization of legionella pneumophila-induced interleukin-8 expr ...	2011	21635756
host-pathogen o-methyltransferase similarity and its specific presence in highly virulent strains of francisella tularensis suggests molecular mimicry.	whole genome comparative studies of many bacterial pathogens have shown an overall high similarity of gene content (>95%) between phylogenetically distinct subspecies. in highly clonal species that share the bulk of their genomes subtle changes in gene content and small-scale polymorphisms, especially those that may alter gene expression and protein-protein interactions, are more likely to have a significant effect on the pathogen's biology. in order to better understand molecular attributes tha ...	2011	21637805
the coxiella burnetii dot/icm system delivers a unique repertoire of type iv effectors into host cells and is required for intracellular replication.	coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of human q fever, is an intracellular pathogen that replicates in an acidified vacuole derived from the host lysosomal network. this pathogen encodes a dot/icm type iv secretion system that delivers bacterial proteins called effectors to the host cytosol. to identify new effector proteins, the functionally analogous legionella pneumophila dot/icm system was used in a genetic screen to identify fragments of c. burnetii genomic dna that when fused to an adeny ...	2011	21637816
rifampicin-macrolide synergy against legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 in human macrophages using a quantitative real-time pcr assay.		2011	21641188
first case of legionella pneumophila native valve endocarditis.	we report the first case in the english language literature, to our knowledge, of native valve endocarditis due to legionella pneumophila. the patient had no prior history of cardiothoracic intervention or congenital valvular process. a transesophageal echocardiogram showed a vegetation on the aortic valve. blood culture and bronchoalveolar lavage returned positive for l. pneumophila. the patient was treated with levofloxacin for 6 weeks total after a second set of blood cultures were negative. ...	2011	21641261
legionella pneumophila infection is enhanced in a rach-null mutant of dictyostelium.	recently we reported that dictyostelium cells ingest legionella pneumophila by macropinocytosis, whereas other bacteria, such as escherichia coli, mycobacterium avium, neisseria meningitidis or salmonella typhimurium, are taken up by phagocytosis.1 in contrast to phagocytosis, macropinocytosis is partially inhibited by pi3k or pten inactivation, whereas both processes are sensitive to plc inhibition. independently from reduced uptake, l. pneumophila proliferates more efficiently in pi3k-null tha ...	2011	21655438
development and validation of elisa for detection of antibodies to legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, 3 and 6 in human sera.	the aim of this study was to determine whether separate measurement of immunoglobulin (ig) m and g antibodies to legionella (l.) pneumophila serogroups (sg) 1, 3 and 6 as single antigens can facilitate an early diagnosis of legionnaires' disease. the developed elisa was evaluated and compared with an in-house indirect legionella immunofluorescence antibody test (ifat) measuring total ig. a total of 193 sera from 128 patients with confirmed l. pneumophila infections were used to assess the sensit ...	2011	21664386
prevention of hospital-acquired legionellosis.	the incidence of hospital-acquired legionellosis appears to be increasing. presence of legionella in the hospital drinking water is the only risk factor known with certainty to be predictive of risk for contracting legionnaires' disease.	2011	21666459
an unusual case of legionellosis.	legionella species is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia. however disease due to l. pneumophila serogroup 13 is rare and has not previously been reported in ireland. it may not be detected by routine legionella antigen and antibody kits. due to these limitations, early culture should be considered when legionellosis is suspected. the potential therapeutic benefit of quinolones in the management of this disease is also illustrated.	2011	21667615
the legionella htra homologue degq is a self-compartmentizing protease that forms large 12-meric assemblies.	proteases of the htra family are key factors dealing with folding stress in the periplasmatic compartment of prokaryotes. in escherichia coli, the well-characterized htra family members degs and degp counteract the accumulation of unfolded outer-membrane proteins under stress conditions. whereas degs serves as a folding-stress sensor, degp is a chaperone-protease facilitating refolding or degradation of defective outer-membrane proteins. here, we report the 2.15-ôä½-resolution crystal structure ...	2011	21670246
stable isotope probing identifies anthracene degraders under methanogenic conditions.	polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs) are common contaminants in groundwater. the remediation of pah-contaminated groundwater often involves anaerobic biodegradation. the knowledge about the microorganisms responsible for pah degradation in anaerobic subsurface environment is still lacking. dna-based stable isotope probing (sip) was applied to discover the microorganisms responsible for anaerobic anthracene degradation within microcosms inoculated with aquifer sediment from landfill leachate-c ...	2011	21805116
[bacterial community structure and diversity in a cold sulfur spring in xinjiang faulting zone].	in order to investigated composition and diversity of bacterial in a cold sulfur spring in xinjiang faulting zone.	2011	21800620
native valve endocarditis due to a novel strain of legionella.	legionellae are gram-negative bacteria which are capable of causing disease, most commonly in the form of pneumonia. we describe a case of native valve endocarditis caused by a legionella strain which by genotypic (16s rrna and mip gene sequencing) and phenotypic analyses is unlike previously described strains of legionella.	2011	21795511
global cellular changes induced by legionella pneumophila infection of bone marrow-derived macrophages.	the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (nod)-like receptor (nlr) family member naip5 plays an essential role in restricting legionella pneumophila growth inside primary macrophages. upon interaction with bacterial flagellin, the intracellular receptor naip5 forms a multi-protein complex, the inflammasome, which activation has a protective role against infection. the a/j mouse strain carries a naip5 allele (naip5(a/j)), which renders its macrophages susceptible to legionella infection. how ...	2011	21794945
collagen iv-derived peptide binds hydrophobic cavity of legionella pneumophila mip and interferes with bacterial epithelial transmigration.	the legionella virulence factor mip (macrophage infectivity potentiator) contributes to bacterial dissemination within infected lung tissue. the mip protein, which belongs to the enzyme family of fk506-binding proteins (fkbp), binds specifically to collagen iv. we identified a surface-exposed mip-binding sequence in the nc1 domain of human collagen iv a1. the corresponding collagen iv-derived peptide (p290) co-precipitated with mip and competitively inhibited the mip-collagen iv binding. transmi ...	2011	21794054
rapid and sensitive detection of pseudomonas aeruginosa in chlorinated water and aerosols targeting gyrb gene using real-time pcr.	aims: for the rapid detection of p. aeruginosa from chlorinated water and aerosols, gyrb gene-based real-time pcr assay was developed and investigated. methods and results: two novel primer sets (pa722f/746mgb/899r and pa722f/746mgb/788r) were designed using the most updated 611 pseudomonas and 748 other bacterial gyrb genes for achieving high specificity. their specificity showed 100% accuracy when tested with various strains including clinical isolates from cystic fibrosis patients. the assa ...	2011	21794031
dissection of a type i interferon pathway in controlling bacterial intracellular infection in mice.	defense mechanisms against intracellular bacterial pathogens are incompletely understood. our study characterizes a type i ifn-dependent cell-autonomous defense pathway directed against legionella pneumophila, an intracellular model organism and frequent cause of pneumonia. we show that macrophages infected with l. pneumophila produced ifnß in a sting- and irf3-dependent manner. paracrine type i ifns stimulated up-regulation of ifn-stimulated genes and a cell-autonomous defense pathway acting on ...	2011	21790939
bacteria misagglutination in legionella surveillance programmes.		2011	21788096
heteroplasmic mitochondrial disease in dictyostelium discoideum.	the bewildering complexity of the relationship between genotype and phenotype in human mitochondrial diseases has delayed an understanding of the related cytopathological mechanisms. to explore the relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction in dictyostelium discoideum and the related cytopathologies, we determined whether the phenotypic outcomes were similar regardless of which d. discoideum mitochondrial gene was targeted for disruption. the disruption of the mitochondrial genes resulted in ...	2011	21787754
[activity of macrolides and fluoroquinolones against intracellular legionella pneumophila].	to evaluate the activity of macrolides and fluoroquinolones against legionella pneumophila by intracellular susceptibility testing.	2011	21781510
characterization of icmf of the type vi secretion system in an avian pathogenic escherichia coli (apec) strain.	the intracellular multiplication f (icmf) factor is a component of the recently described type vi secretion system (t6ss). icmf was shown to be required for intra-macrophage replication, and inhibition of phagosome-lysosome fusion in legionella pneumophila. in vibrio cholera it is involved in motility, adherence and conjugation. given that we previously reported that two t6ss genes (hcp and clpv) contribute to the pathogenesis of a septicemic strain (sept362) of avian pathogenic escherichia coli ...	2011	21778203
role of rifampin-based combination therapy for severe community-acquired legionella pneumophila pneumonia.	to review the literature concerning the role of rifampin in the combination treatment of legionella pneumophila pneumonia.	2011	21775694
asc modulates the function of nlrc4 in response to infection of macrophages by legionella pneumophila.	abstract nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat containing proteins (nlrs) activate caspase-1 in response to a variety of bacterium-derived signals in macrophages. nlr-mediated activation of caspase-1 by legionella pneumophila occurs through both an nlrc4/naip5-dependent pathway and a pathway requiring the adapter protein asc. both pathways are needed for maximal activation of caspase-1 and for the release of the cytokines interleukin-1ß (il-1ß) and il-18. asc is not required for caspase ...	2011	21771913
matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and database for identification of legionella species (1) (1) this study was presented in part at the 110th american society for microbiology annual meeting, 23-27 may 2010, san diego, california.	more than 20 species of legionella have been identified in relation to human infections. rapid detection and identification of legionella isolates is clinically useful to differentiate between infection and contamination and to determine treatment regimens. we explored the use of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (maldi-tof ms) biotyper system (bruker daltonik gmbh, bremen, germany) for the identification of legionella species. the maldi ms spectra were ...	2011	21767077
an acpxl mutant in rhizobium leguminosarum bv. phaseolus lacks 27-hydroxyoctacosanoic acid in its lipid a and is developmentally delayed during symbiotic infection of the determinate nodulating host plant phaseolus vulgaris.	rhizobium leguminosarum is a gram negative bacterium that forms nitrogen fixing symbioses with compatible leguminous plants via intracellular invasion and establishes a persistent infection within host membrane derived subcellular compartments. notably, an unusual very long chain fatty acid (vlcfa) is found in the lipid a of r. leguminosarum as well as in the lipid a of the medically relevant pathogens brucella abortus, brucella melitensis, bartonella henselae, and legionellae pneumophila which ...	2011	21764936
cell mediated immunity in legionnaires' disease.		2011	21762750
epidemiology and control of legionellosis, singapore.	to determine trends and clinical and epidemiologic features of legionellosis in singapore, we studied cases reported during 2000-2009. during this period, 238 indigenous and 33 imported cases of legionellosis were reported. cases were reported individually and sporadically throughout each year. although the annual incidence of indigenous cases had decreased from 0.46 cases per 100,000 population in 2003 to 0.16 cases per 100,000 in 2009, the proportion of imported cases increased correspondingly ...	2011	21762574
the atypical two-component sensor kinase lpl0330 from legionella pneumophila controls the bifunctional diguanylate cyclase-phosphodiesterase lpl0329 to modulate c-di-gmp synthesis.	a significant part of bacterial two-component system response regulators contain effector domains predicted to be involved in metabolism of c-di-gmp, a second messenger which plays a key role in many physiological processes. intracellular level of c-di-gmp is controlled by diguanylate cyclases (dgcs) and phosphodiesterases (pdes) activities associated with ggdef and eal domains, respectively. the legionella pneumophila lens genome displays 22 ggdef/eal domain-encoding genes. one of them, lpl0329 ...	2011	21757706
community-acquired versus nosocomial legionella pneumonia: lessons learned from an epidemiologic investigation.		2011	21752494
pontiac fever among retirement home nurses associated with airborne legionella.	the aim of this study was to ascertain incidence of symptoms compatible with pontiac fever (pf) and to assess their association with exposure to legionella bacteria among retirement home nurses who help residents take their shower. within a non-epidemic framework, 104 nurses of 19 retirement homes were followed up during an average period of four months. data on symptoms, number and location of showers they attended were recorded daily by each participant. water and aerosol bacterial quality was ...	2011	21752493
virulence properties of the legionella pneumophila cell envelope.	the bacterial envelope plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. in this review, we summarize the current knowledge of the structure and molecular composition of the legionella pneumophila cell envelope. we describe lipopolysaccharides biosynthesis and the biological activities of membrane and periplasmic proteins and discuss their decisive functions during the pathogen-host interaction. in addition to adherence, invasion, and intracellular survival of l. pneumophila, spec ...	2011	21747794
control of host cell phosphorylation by legionella pneumophila.	phosphorylation is one of the most frequent modifications in intracellular signaling and is implicated in many processes ranging from transcriptional control to signal transduction in innate immunity. many pathogens modulate host cell phosphorylation pathways to promote growth and establish an infectious disease. the intracellular pathogen legionella pneumophila targets and exploits the host phosphorylation system throughout the infection cycle as part of its strategy to establish an environment ...	2011	21747787
legionella pneumophila transcriptome during intracellular multiplication in human macrophages.	legionella pneumophila is the causative agent of legionnaires' disease, an acute pulmonary infection. l. pneumophila is able to infect and multiply in both phagocytic protozoa, such as acanthamoeba castellanii, and mammalian professional phagocytes. the best-known l. pneumophila virulence determinant is the icm/dot type ivb secretion system, which is used to translocate more than 150 effector proteins into host cells. while the transcriptional response of legionella to the intracellular environm ...	2011	21747786
listeria monocytogenes engineered to activate the nlrc4 inflammasome are severely attenuated and are poor inducers of protective immunity.	inflammasomes are intracellular multiprotein signaling complexes that activate caspase-1, leading to the cleavage and secretion of il-1ß and il-18, and ultimately host cell death. inflammasome activation is a common cellular response to infection; however, the consequences of inflammasome activation during acute infection and in the development of long-term protective immunity is not well understood. to investigate the role of the inflammasome in vivo, we engineered a strain of listeria monocyto ...	2011	21746921
secrets of a successful pathogen: legionella resistance to progression along the autophagic pathway.	to proliferate within phagocytes, legionella pneumophila relies on type iv secretion to modulate host cellular pathways. autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved degradative pathway that captures and transfers a variety of microbes to lysosomes. biogenesis of l. pneumophila-containing vacuoles and autophagosomes share several features, including endoplasmic reticulum (er)-derived membranes, contributions by the host gtpases rab1, arf1 and sar1, and a final destiny in lysosomes. we discuss morpho ...	2011	21743811
type ivb secretion systems of legionella and other gram-negative bacteria.	type iv secretion systems (t4sss) play a central role in the pathogenicity of many important pathogens, including agrobacterium tumefaciens, helicobacter pylori, and legionella pneumophila. the t4sss are related to bacterial conjugation systems, and are classified into two subgroups, type iva (t4ass) and type ivb (t4bss). the t4bss, which is closely related to conjugation systems of inci plasmids, was originally found in human pathogen l. pneumophila; pathogenesis by l. pneumophila infection req ...	2011	21743810
letters to the editor.		2011	21830876
the legionella pneumophila chaperonin - an unusual multifunctional protein in unusual locations.	the legionella pneumophila chaperonin, high temperature protein b (htpb), was discovered as a highly immunogenic antigen, only a few years after the identification of l. pneumophila as the causative agent of legionnaires' disease. as its counterparts in other bacterial pathogens, htpb did not initially receive further attention, particularly because research was focused on a few model chaperonins that were used to demonstrate that chaperonins are essential stress proteins, present in all cellula ...	2011	21713066
striking a balance: modulation of host cell death pathways by legionella pneumophila.	programmed cell death is considered the ultimate solution for the host to eliminate infected cells, leading to the abolishment of the niche for microbial replication and the ablation of infection. thus, it is not surprising that successful pathogens have evolved diverse strategies to reprogram the cell death pathways for their proliferation. using effector proteins translocated by the dot/icm type iv secretion system, the facultative intracellular pathogen legionella pneumophila manipulates mult ...	2011	21687427
[legionella pneumonia in a patient with positive culture results of legionella pneumophila serotype 1 from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid but negative urinary antigen test results].	a 39-year-old man presented to a local physician complaining of fever, headache without cough or sputum. abnormal shadows were found on chest x-ray films. pneumonia was diagnosed and he was referred to our hospital, where chest computed tomography showed bilateral, multifocal, and patchy ground-glass opacities. neither the urinary antigen test for streptococcus pneumoniae nor that for legionella was positive. because he had visited a public spa several days before developing the fever and headac ...	2011	21735748