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Legionella is a genus of gram-negative bacteria that can be seen using a silver stain or grown in a special media that contains cysteine, an amino acid.It is known to cause legionellosis [3] (all illnesses caused by Legionella) including a pneumonia-type illness called Legionnaires' disease and a mild flu-like illness called Pontiac fever. [3]
Legionella pneumophila, the primary causative agent for Legionnaire's disease, is an aerobic, pleomorphic, flagellated, non-spore-forming, Gram-negative bacterium. [1] [2] L. pneumophila is a intracellular parasite that preferentially infects soil amoebae and freshwater protozoa for replication.
Legionella isolation can be conducted using the method developed by the US Center for Disease Control using buffered charcoal yeast extract agar with antibiotics. [ citation needed ] Copper-Silver ionization is an effective industrial control and prevention process to eradicate Legionella in potable water distribution systems and cooling towers ...
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says people can develop Legionnaires' disease by breathing in small droplets of water or accidentally swallowing water containing legionella.
Legionella spp. enter the lungs either by aspiration of contaminated water or inhalation of aerosolized contaminated water or soil. In the lung, the bacteria are consumed by macrophages , a type of white blood cell , inside of which the Legionella bacteria multiply, causing the death of the macrophage.
Legionella is considered to be pathogenic in humans and is one of the leading outbreaks found in constructed water systems. Because the biofilms are the source, countless outbreaks that originated from water systems and the ability of a species to form biofilms both can contribute to L. clemonensis’s pathogenicity. [7]
Legionella is often present in small quantities in the water cruise lines pick up in port for drinking, use in showers and amenities like whirlpool spas, but not high enough to make people sick ...
After the 1976 Legionnaires' outbreak in Philadelphia, the Michigan health department re-examined blood samples and discovered the workers had been infected with the newly identified Legionella pneumophila. [12] [13] An outbreak caused by Legionella micdadei in early 1988 in the UK became known as Lochgoilhead fever. [14]