This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Selander, R K Articles by Pattison, P E Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Selander, R K Articles by Pattison, P E

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Bacteriol. 1985 September; 163(3): 1021-1037

Genetic structure of populations of Legionella pneumophila.

ABSTRACT

The genetic structure of populations of Legionella pneumophila was defined by an analysis of electrophoretically demonstrable allelic variation at structural genes encoding 22 enzymes in 292 isolates from clinical and environmental sources. Nineteen of the loci were polymorphic, and 62 distinctive electrophoretic types (ETs), representing multilocus genotypes, were identified. Principal coordinates and clustering analyses demonstrated that isolates received as L. pneumophila were a heterogeneous array of genotypes that included two previously undescribed species. For 50 ETs of L. pneumophila (strict sense), mean genetic diversity per locus was 0.312, and diversity was equivalent in ETs represented by isolates recovered from clinical sources and those collected from environmental sources. Cluster analysis revealed four major groups or lineages of ETs in L. pneumophila. Genetic diversity among ETs of the same serotype was, on average, 93% of that in the total sample of ETs. Isolates marked by particular patterns of reactivity to a panel of nine monoclonal antibodies were also genetically heterogeneous, mean diversity within patterns being about 75% of the total. Both Pontiac fever and the pneumonic form of legionellosis may be caused by isolates of the same ET. The genetic structure of L. pneumophila is clonal, and many clones apparently are worldwide in distribution. The fact that L. pneumophila is only 60% as variable as Escherichia coli raises the possibility that isolates recovered from clinical cases and man-made environments are a restricted subset of all clones in the species as a whole.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Edwards, M. T., Fry, N. K., Harrison, T. G. (2008). Clonal population structure of Legionella pneumophila inferred from allelic profiling. Microbiology 154: 852-864 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Cazalet, C., Jarraud, S., Ghavi-Helm, Y., Kunst, F., Glaser, P., Etienne, J., Buchrieser, C. (2008). Multigenome analysis identifies a worldwide distributed epidemic Legionella pneumophila clone that emerged within a highly diverse species. Genome Res 18: 431-441 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Dutta, D., Gachhui, R. (2006). Novel nitrogen-fixing Acetobacter nitrogenifigens sp. nov., isolated from Kombucha tea.. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 56: 1899-1903 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bae, J.-W., Rhee, S.-K., Park, J. R., Chung, W.-H., Nam, Y.-D., Lee, I., Kim, H., Park, Y.-H. (2005). Development and Evaluation of Genome-Probing Microarrays for Monitoring Lactic Acid Bacteria. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 8825-8835 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Whitaker, R. J., Grogan, D. W., Taylor, J. W. (2005). Recombination Shapes the Natural Population Structure of the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus. Mol Biol Evol 22: 2354-2361 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Costa, J., Tiago, I., da Costa, M. S., Verissimo, A. (2005). Presence and Persistence of Legionella spp. in Groundwater. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 663-671 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Aurell, H., Farge, P., Meugnier, H., Gouy, M., Forey, F., Lina, G., Vandenesch, F., Etienne, J., Jarraud, S. (2005). Clinical and Environmental Isolates of Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Cannot Be Distinguished by Sequence Analysis of Two Surface Protein Genes and Three Housekeeping Genes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 282-289 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ko, K. S., Hong, S. K., Lee, H. K., Park, M.-Y., Kook, Y.-H. (2003). Molecular Evolution of the dotA Gene in Legionella pneumophila. J. Bacteriol. 185: 6269-6277 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Aurell, H., Etienne, J., Forey, F., Reyrolle, M., Girardo, P., Farge, P., Decludt, B., Campese, C., Vandenesch, F., Jarraud, S. (2003). Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Strain Paris: Endemic Distribution throughout France. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 3320-3322 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Pourcel, C., Vidgop, Y., Ramisse, F., Vergnaud, G., Tram, C. (2003). Characterization of a Tandem Repeat Polymorphism in Legionella pneumophila and Its Use for Genotyping. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 1819-1826 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Cordevant, C., Tang, J. S., Cleland, D., Lange, M. (2003). Characterization of Members of the Legionellaceae Family by Automated Ribotyping. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 34-43 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Fields, B. S., Benson, R. F., Besser, R. E. (2002). Legionella and Legionnaires' Disease: 25 Years of Investigation. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 15: 506-526 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ko, K. S., Lee, H. K., Park, M.-Y., Park, M.-S., Lee, K.-H., Woo, S.-Y., Yun, Y.-J., Kook, Y.-H. (2002). Population Genetic Structure of Legionella pneumophila Inferred from RNA Polymerase Gene (rpoB) and DotA Gene (dotA) Sequences. J. Bacteriol. 184: 2123-2130 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Jonas, D., Meyer, H.-G. W., Matthes, P., Hartung, D., Jahn, B., Daschner, F. D., Jansen, B. (2000). Comparative Evaluation of Three Different Genotyping Methods for Investigation of Nosocomial Outbreaks of Legionnaires' Disease in Hospitals. J. Clin. Microbiol. 38: 2284-2291 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Souza, V., Rocha, M., Valera, A., Eguiarte, L. E. (1999). Genetic Structure of Natural Populations of Escherichia coli in Wild Hosts on Different Continents. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 3373-3385 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lo Presti, F., Riffard, S., Vandenesch, F., Etienne, J. (1998). Identification of Legionella Species by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Profiles. J. Clin. Microbiol. 36: 3193-3197 [Abstract] [Full Text]