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Query: UMLS:C0023241 (Legionella)
 6,990 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A chemically defined liquid medium has been developed for the study of the physiology and antigen production of the Legionnaires disease bacterium. The medium contains basal salts, vitamins, alpha-ketoglutaric acid, pyruvate, 0.05% l-cysteine, 0.05% glutathione, and a mixture of 20 additional amino acids, each of 0.01% final concentration, except serine, which was at 0.1%. The medium in shake culture at 37 degrees C with increased CO2 at pH 6.5, supports the maximum rate of growth, the highest cell yields, and the maximum cell surface antigen as distinguished by specific fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated antibody. Studies during the development of this medium showed that CO2, pyruvate, and alpha-ketoglutarate strongly stimulated growth; that cysteine and methionine were required for growth; and that serine, threonine, histidine, tyrosine, and tryptophane were energy sources. Glutathione substituted for cysteine, but cystine did not. The organisms did not use glucose and polysaccharides, as judged by cell yields when these carbohydrates were present or absent. The chelators malate, citrate, and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid totally inhibited growth. Beta-mercaptoethanol, thioglycolate, dithiothreitol, and Tween 80 (0.05%) inhibited growth strongly or completely. Catalase activity was extremely weak or absent. Morphology varied, depending upon conditions and phases of growth. In general, filamentous forms became chains of cigar-shaped bacilli fragmenting to pairs and becoming coccoidal in the late stationary pha-e of growth. The organism grew at 25, 30, and 37 degrees C. Although they varied in their growth characteristics, 10 isolates were passed for five transfers in the chemically defined broth, giving maximum rates of growth, cell yields, and antigen production.
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PMID:Development of a chemically defined liquid medium for growth of Legionella pneumophila. 3 86

Legionnaires' disease bacterium in tissue does not readily react with the Gram stain but can be seen by other stains and direct immunofluorescence. It is a slow-growing, aerobic, gram-negative rod that can be cultivated over a narrow temperature range on Mueller-Hinton agar supplemented either with complex biological mixtures or certain ferric salts and cysteine. The bacterium produces unique, branched-chain fatty acids, catalase, oxidase (weakly), and gelatinase and uses starch while ignoring other carbohydrates. Pigment production is related to tyrosine in the medium. In-vitro studies suggest susceptibility to all antibiotics except vancomycin, but a class 1 beta-lactamase has been demonstrated. Analysis of DNA confirmed the unrelatedness of this bacterium to previously recognized prokaryotes. Diagnosis of the disease has depended largely on serologic test findings and the demonstration of the bacterium in tissue and, occasionally, on isolation. Additional, simpler, and more rapid diagnostic tests should soon be available.
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PMID:Microbiology of Legionnaires' disease bacterium. 8 12

Two strains of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 monoclonal subgroup Pontiac were grown for the first time in continuous culture using a chemically defined medium. The influence of temperature on physiology and morphology was investigated by fixing the growth rate (equal to the dilution rate, D) at 0.08 h-1 and controlling the pH and dissolved oxygen concentration of the culture. Serine provided the principal source of carbon and energy but growth was limited by tyrosine. The bacterium behaved as a microaerophile in this medium, with maximal growth occurring at 0.31 (mg O2)I-1 (equivalent to a dissolved oxygen tension of 4% (v/v) air saturation at 30 degrees C). The cultures consisted of flagellated, short rods at 24 degrees C, but exhibited an increased level of pleomorphism and the loss of flagella as the temperature was increased to 37 degrees C. The presence of intracellular granules was noted, and their abundance was temperature-dependent. Polyhydroxybutyrate was present in L. pneumophila, and the proportion of the cell dry weight that it accounted for varied with temperature, being maximal at 24 degrees C. The ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids in the cells decreased as the temperature was reduced towards 24 degrees C, so as to maintain membrane fluidity at low growth temperature.
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PMID:Physiology and morphology of Legionella pneumophila in continuous culture at low oxygen concentration. 147 56

A genomic library of Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease in humans was constructed in Escherichia coli K12 and the recombinant clones were tested for haemolysis and other phenotypic properties. Seven clones were identified which were able to confer haemolysis of human, sheep, and canine erythrocytes but which were unable to mediate proteolytic activities or cytotoxic effects on CHO- or Vero cells. Clones that exhibited this haemolytic property were also able to produce a brown colour and a yellow-green fluorescence activity detected on M9 plates containing tyrosine. The genetic determinant encoding these properties, termed legiolysin (lly) was mapped by Tn1000 mutagenesis and by subcloning experiments. Southern hybridization with an lly-specific gene probe showed that this determinant is part of the genome of L. pneumophila but is not identical to a protease gene of L. pneumophila which also mediates haemolysis. Minicell analysis of lly-specific plasmids exhibited a protein of 39 kDa. Polyclonal antibodies generated against a LacZ-Lly hybrid protein also recognized a 39 kDa protein produced either by the recombinant legiolysin-positive E. coli K12 clones or by L. pneumophila wild-type strains.
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PMID:Characterization of legiolysin (lly), responsible for haemolytic activity, colour production and fluorescence of Legionella pneumophila. 195 91

Strains of Legionella spp. produce extracellular proteases than can be detected using synthetic chromogenic peptides. Chromogenic tri- and tetrapeptides show a high degree of sensitivity, specificity and reagent stability when linked to para-nitroaniline (pNA). For example, SucOMe-Arg-Pro-Tyr.pNa (S-2586) is specifically hydrolysed by proteases of Legionella pneumophila and some other Legionella species. A paper disc method to sample protease directly from agar plates has been used to evaluate chromogenic peptides as reagents for diagnostic purposes. Strains of Legionella spp., Pseudomonas spp. and Enterobacteriaceae were examined, together with a recombinant Escherichia coli strain containing the cloned 38 kDa zinc metalloprotease from L. pneumophila, S-2586 was hydrolysed by 282 out of 283 L. pneumophila strains, and by the recombinant E. coli. Two of the six strains representing other Legionella species, and 22 of the 50 strains from the Pseudomonas group were also positive. No reaction was seen with any of the Enterobacteriaceae strains. Although there was functional homology between proteases from several bacterial groups, the high prevalence of S 2586-hydrolysing proteases within L. pneumophila indicates a potential usefulness for phenotypic identification.
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PMID:Rapid identification of Legionella pneumophila zinc metalloprotease using chromogenic detection. 203 13

Legionella pneumophila infection of guinea-pigs by the aerosol route with either of two strains, one (serogroup I) giving an acute the other (serogroup 3) giving a protracted illness, induced a pyrexia and similar pneumonic lesions. With both strains there was a bacteraemia with early decreases in serum iron and zinc and increases in serum copper concentrations. Marked changes in other serum components were evident only in those animals which had protracted illness (serogroup 3-infected animals). These included transient increases in aminotransferase, creatine kinase and sorbitol dehydrogenase activities and triglyceride levels, together with gradual decreases in alkaline phosphatase and leucine aminopeptidase activities. Serum lysozyme activity and acute-phase protein synthesis increased, as did the ratio of phenylalanine to tyrosine. The findings confirm the relevance of the aerosol-infected guinea-pig model for the investigation of the disease processes and evaluation of therapeutic measures for use in man.
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PMID:Clinical chemical responses to experimental airborne legionellosis in the guinea-pig. 258 May 46

The utilization of amino acids and other compounds as carbon and energy sources by Legionella pneumophila was examined. Based on the stimulation of oxygen consumption in washed-cell suspensions, glutamate, serine, threonine, and tyrosine were the only amino acids which were utilized as energy sources. Other stimulators of oxygen uptake were lactate, pyruvate, acetate, fumarate, and succinate. Citrate was a good stimulator only when the bacteria were grown in the presence of the substrate. Radiolabeling studies showed that [14C]glutamate was rapidly metabolized, with the label distributed evenly in all cell fractions. [14C]pyruvate and [14C]acetate were incorporated into the lipid-containing cell fraction, whereas glucose and glycerol were found in both the lipid- and polysaccharide-containing cell fractions. Radiorespirometry of differentially labeled [14C]glucose indicated that this compound was metabolized primarily by the pentose phosphate and Entner-Doudoroff pathways rather than by the glycolytic pathway.
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PMID:Intermediary metabolism in Legionella pneumophila: utilization of amino acids and other compounds as energy sources. 613 45

A systematic study of pigment production (browning) and fluorescence (extracellular yellow-green and intracellular blue-white) by nine Legionellaceae species was performed. A total of 56 strains representing Tatlockia micdadei (Pittsburgh pneumonia agent), Legionella pneumophila, Legionella jordanis, Legionella longbeachae, Legionella oakridgensis, Legionella wadsworthii, Fluoribacter bozemanae, Fluoribacter gormanii, and Fluoribacter dumoffii could be separated on media supplemented with tyrosine plus cystine, 3,4-diaminobenzoic acid, 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid, and 3-aminotyrosine. Parallel testing by hippurate hydrolysis and the bromocresol purple spot test enabled the identification of Legionellaceae species 24 to 72 h after primary isolation. This schema may be a practical alternative to species-specific antisera methods (slide agglutination or direct immunofluorescence) in the identification of members of the family Legionellaceae.
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PMID:Clinical laboratory differentiation of Legionellaceae family members with pigment production and fluorescence on media supplemented with aromatic substrates. 654 53

The amino acids required for growth and as energy sources by 10 strains of Legionella pneumophila were determined by using a chemically defined medium. All strains required arginine, cysteine, isoleucine, leucine, threonine, valine, methionine, and phenylalanine or tyrosine. Most strains (7 of 10) required serine, and two strains had to be supplied proline before growth could be established. All 10 strains used serine and, to a lesser extent, threonine as the sole sources of carbon and energy. The Y serine calculated was 94.9 +/- 8.5 g (dry weight) of cells/mol of serine. Assuming that the value of Y adenosine 5'-triphosphate is 10.5, these results indicate that oxidative catabolism of 1 mol of serine yielded approximately 9 mol of adenosine 5'-triphosphate. This high yield suggests that although serine was the major source of carbon, other amino acids may also be metabolized.
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PMID:Amino acid requirements of Legionella pneumophila. 676 47

Flagella were isolated from virulent Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1, 2, and 3. Antiserum made against purified serogroups 1 flagellin agglutinated live, flagellated serogroups 1, 2, and 3 but not heat-killed or nonflagellated bacteria. A single line of identity was seen in immunodiffusion slides between the flagella isolated from the three serogroups and antibody to flagellin isolated from serogroups 1, 2, and 3. Indirect immunoperoxidase staining showed that antibody to flagellin isolated from serogroup 1 organisms reacted with flagella on serogroup 1, 2, and 3 bacteria. Indirect immunoperoxidase staining was also showed that antibody to flagellin isolated from serogroup 1 L. pneumophila did not react with the serogroup-specific cell surface antigen, thus demonstrating that the flagella- and the serogroup-specific antigen are separate antigens. The amino acid content of the flagella from the three serogroups was essentially the same, with aspartate, glutamate, alanine, and threonine comprising 41% of the total. Thirty-five percent of the amino acids were hydrophobic, and there were not detectable amounts of cysteine, tryptophan, or tyrosine.
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PMID:Immunological and biochemical relationships among flagella isolated from Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1, 2, and 3. 679 82


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