Reactivity of Serum from Patients with Suspected Legionellosis Against 29 Antigens of Legionellaceae and Legionella-Like Organisms by Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay

Wilkinson, Hazel W.; Reingold, Arthur; Brake, Bonnie J.; McGiboney, D. L.; Gorman, George W.; Broome, Claire V.

doi:10.1093/infdis/147.1.23

Cited by 110 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…These antibody responses may be serogroup specific or may react with an antigen common to L. pneumophila; therefore, it is not possible to reliably determine the serogroup or species causing infection (290). Early studies recommended the use of polyvalent antigen pools to screen sera and subsequent testing with the monovalent components (83,290).…”

Section: Serologic Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Legionella and Legionnaires' Disease: 25 Years of Investigation

2002

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There is still a low level of clinical awareness regarding Legionnaires' disease 25 years after it was first detected. The causative agents, legionellae, are freshwater bacteria with a fascinating ecology. These bacteria are intracellular pathogens of freshwater protozoa and utilize a similar mechanism to infect human phagocytic cells. There have been major advances in delineating the pathogenesis of legionellae through the identification of genes which allow the organism to bypass the endocytic pathways of both protozoan and human cells. Other bacteria that may share this novel infectious process are Coxiella burnetti and Brucella spp. More than 40 species and numerous serogroups of legionellae have been identified. Most diagnostic tests are directed at the species that causes most of the reported human cases of legionellosis, L. pneumophila serogroup 1. For this reason, information on the incidence of human respiratory disease attributable to other species and serogroups of legionellae is lacking. Improvements in diagnostic tests such as the urine antigen assay have inadvertently caused a decrease in the use of culture to detect infection, resulting in incomplete surveillance for legionellosis. Large, focal outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease continue to occur worldwide, and there is a critical need for surveillance for travel-related legionellosis in the United States. There is optimism that newly developed guidelines and water treatment practices can greatly reduce the incidence of this preventable illness

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Section: Serologic Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Legionella and Legionnaires' Disease: 25 Years of Investigation

2002

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“…Agglutinating antibodies that cross-react with Pseudomonas aeruginosa in patients with cystic fibrosis have also been reported (49). As the number of antigens tested in serological tests increases, the criteria for positivity should be increasingly strict (270). A fourfold increase in titer to a level of at least 1:128 is the standard.…”

Section: Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

Legionnaires disease: historical perspective

1988

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In the summer of 1976, a mysterious epidemic of fatal respiratory disease in Philadelphia launched an intensive investigation that resulted in the definition of a new family of pathogenic bacteria, the Legionellaceae. In retrospect, members of the family had been isolated from clinical specimens as early as 1943. Unsolved epidemics of acute respiratory disease dating to the 1950s were subsequently attributed to the newly described pathogens. In the intervening years, the Legionellaceae have been firmly established as important causes of sporadic and epidemic respiratory disease. The sources of the infecting bacteria are environmental, and geographic variation in the frequency of infection has been documented. Airborne dissemination of bacteria from cooling towers and evaporative condensers has been responsible for some epidemics, but potable water systems are perhaps more important sources. The mode of transmission from drinking water is unclear. The Legionellaceae are gram-negative, facultative, intracellular pathogens. The resident alveolar macrophage, usually an effective antibacterial defense, is the primary site of growth. Cell-mediated immunity appears to be the most important immunological defense; the role of humoral immunity is less clear. Erythromycin remains the antibiotic of choice for therapy of infected patients, but identification and eradication of environmental sources are also essential for the control of infection.

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“…Legionella pneumophila is a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes 80-85% of the cases of Legionnaires' disease, a serious and often fatal form of pneumonia (1,2). Several potential virulence factors have been identified in L.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An immunoprotective molecule, the major secretory protein of Legionella pneumophila, is not a virulence factor in a guinea pig model of Legionnaires' disease.

Blander

Szeto²,

Shuman³

et al. 1990

J. Clin. Invest.

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We have examined whether a molecule that is capable of inducing immune protection, the major secretory protein (MSP) of Legionellapneumophila, is required for virulence in a guinea pig model of Legionnaires' disease. To do so, we have compared the virulence in guinea pigs of an isogenic pair of L. pneumophila, Philadelphia 1 strain, one of which produces MSP (MSP+) and one of which does not (MSP-).Both the MSP-strain and the MSP+ strain of L. pneumophila are highly virulent for guinea pigs, inducing similar signs and progression of illness. Both strains are lethal and have comparable LD50s and LD100s. Both strains multiply in the lungs of guinea pigs at a similar rate, and both strains produce indistinguishable pathological lesions in the lungs. Both strains maintain a stable phenotype with guinea pig passage, i.e., the MSP-strain does not regain the capacity to secrete MSP and the MSP+ strain retains its capacity to secrete MSP after lung passage.

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Reactivity of Serum from Patients with Suspected Legionellosis Against 29 Antigens of Legionellaceae and Legionella-Like Organisms by Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay

Cited by 110 publications

References 24 publications

Legionella and Legionnaires' Disease: 25 Years of Investigation

Legionella and Legionnaires' Disease: 25 Years of Investigation

Legionnaires disease: historical perspective

An immunoprotective molecule, the major secretory protein of Legionella pneumophila, is not a virulence factor in a guinea pig model of Legionnaires' disease.

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