Legionella pneumophila and other Legionella species
Legionella is aerobic, rod-shaped and Gram-negative bacteria, and includes Legionella pneumophila, which causes legionellosis. Legionella mainly inhabit in terrestrial soil and in aquatic environments such as lakes and rivers. In the human living environment, it is often found in circulating water used for air-conditioning and bathing facilities, and is considered to be transmitted to humans through the tiny water droplets (aerosols) occurred from these facilities.
In JCM, 18 strains belong to the 14 species, including Legionella pneumophila subsp. pneumophila JCM 7571T, have been maintained. Legionella require amino acids such as L-cysteine, serine and threonine as energy and carbon sources for the growth. These strains can be cultured on cysteine-containing medium such as buffered charcoal yeast extract (BCYE) agar for approximately 2-3 days.
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| Legionella pneumophila subsp. pneumophila JCM 7571T | |
