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Microorganisms
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Legionella pneumophila: A Microorganism with Thousand Faces, 2nd Edition
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Legionella pneumophila: A Microorganism with Thousand Faces, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 3300

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Teresa Fasciana

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialities, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy
Interests: microbiology; infection; MDR; H. pylori; L. pneumophila
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous Special Issue, titled “Legionella pneumophila: A Microorganism with a Thousand Faces”

Legionella pneumophila is naturally found in fresh water, where bacteria parasitize within protozoa. It also lives planktonically in water or biofilms. The pathogenesis of Legionnaires’ disease is largely related to the ability of L. pneumophila to invade and grow within macrophages. In recent times, a prodigious number of bacterial virulence factors, which affect the growth of L. pneumophila in both macrophages and protozoa, have been recognized. While L. pneumophila replicates within environmental protozoa, its colonization and persistence within its natural environment are mediated by biofilm formation and colonization within multispecies microbial communities. There is now evidence that some legionellosis outbreaks are correlated with the presence of biofilms. Thus, preventing biofilm formation appears to be one of the optimal strategies available for reducing water system contamination. This Special Issue will focus on epidemiological data and experimental evidence, as well as possible mechanisms of L. pneumophila and host factors involved in causing Legionnaires’ disease. Finally, it will review the known mechanisms of biofilm formation, as well as old and new anti-biofilm substances.

Dr. Teresa Fasciana
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Legionella pneumophila
  • virulence factors
  • biofilm
  • disinfection strategy

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

7 pages, 418 KiB  
Article
Two Sporadic Cases of Legionellosis Associated with the Use of Domestic Ultrasonic Humidifiers
by Javier Reinares Ortiz, Jorge Pérez-Serrano, Juana María González-Rubio and Fernando González-Camacho
Microorganisms 2024, 12(11), 2139; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12112139 - 25 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1123
Abstract
Two sporadic cases of legionellosis occurring in consecutive years were confirmed by positive antigenuria to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 in individuals with limited mobility who were confined to their homes. Both cases had a history of using ultrasonic humidifiers and of low exposure [...] Read more.
Two sporadic cases of legionellosis occurring in consecutive years were confirmed by positive antigenuria to Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 in individuals with limited mobility who were confined to their homes. Both cases had a history of using ultrasonic humidifiers and of low exposure to other possible sources of infection. This study was conducted through an expanded epidemiological survey and home inspection. Samples were collected from domestic hot water and humidifiers. Environmental isolates were characterised by immunoagglutination and immunofluorescence. The Dresden panel is employed for the determination of groups and subgroups of serogroup 1. The amoebae were isolated by water filtration and subsequent cultivation of the filters. Identification of the isolates was conducted through the sequencing of PCR products. In both cases, epidemiological studies identified the ultrasonic humidifiers as the probable source of infection. The presence of Legionella pneumophila was confirmed in the sanitary water installation and in the humidifiers, where high values of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 counts were also obtained. The isolates were characterised as Olda Oxford and Olda OLDA. Furthermore, in addition to the Legionella isolates, the presence of Vermamoeba vermiformis was also identified in samples obtained from domestic hot water and humidifiers in one of the residential addresses under investigation. It has been demonstrated that humidifiers can act as an amplification mechanism for pathogenic microorganisms when they are not cleaned and maintained correctly. This can pose a health danger, especially to people with previous respiratory pathologies, the immunosuppressed, and the elderly. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that professionals who recommend the therapeutic use of this equipment should issue warnings regarding the importance of its correct use, cleaning, and disinfection. Finally, humidifiers should be considered in epidemiological surveys and in the study of sporadic cases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Legionella pneumophila: A Microorganism with Thousand Faces, 2nd Edition)
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17 pages, 6889 KiB  
Article
Legionella in Primary School Hot Water Systems from Two Municipalities in the Danish Capital Region
by Niss Skov Nielsen, Peter Fojan, Rasmus Lund Jensen, Haseebullah Wahedi and Alireza Afshari
Microorganisms 2024, 12(10), 2074; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12102074 - 16 Oct 2024
Viewed by 814
Abstract
Legionella contamination in public water systems poses significant health risks, particularly in schools where vulnerable populations, including children, regularly use these facilities. This study investigates the presence of Legionella in the hot water systems from 49 primary schools across two municipalities in the [...] Read more.
Legionella contamination in public water systems poses significant health risks, particularly in schools where vulnerable populations, including children, regularly use these facilities. This study investigates the presence of Legionella in the hot water systems from 49 primary schools across two municipalities in the Danish capital region. Water samples were collected from taps in each school, and both first-flush and stabile temperature samples were analysed for Legionella contents. The findings revealed that 97% of schools in Municipality 1 and 100% in Municipality 2 had Legionella in their hot water systems. The content of Legionella colonies was significantly higher in schools in Municipality 1, which was probably because of overall lower water temperatures. At stabile temperatures, 76% and 50% of the schools in the two municipalities exceeded the European Union’s recommended limit of 1000 CFU/L. Stabile peripheral water temperatures were achieved after 3 min. Tap water temperatures above 54 °C and central tank temperatures above 59 °C were associated with Legionella contents below 1000 CFU/L. This study highlights the need for more stringent Legionella control procedures in schools, including higher water temperatures and refining Legionella reducing interventions with the addition of regular flow and draining procedures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Legionella pneumophila: A Microorganism with Thousand Faces, 2nd Edition)
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11 pages, 1710 KiB  
Article
Characterisation of Legionella Clinical Isolates in Spain from 2012 to 2022
by Juana María González-Rubio, Almudena Cascajero, Beatriz Baladrón and Fernando González-Camacho
Microorganisms 2024, 12(7), 1253; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12071253 - 21 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 960
Abstract
Although cases of Legionnaires’ disease are notifiable, data on the phenotypic and genotypic characterisation of clinical isolates are limited. This retrospective study aims to report the results of the characterisation of Legionella clinical isolates in Spain from 2012 to 2022. Monoclonal antibodies from [...] Read more.
Although cases of Legionnaires’ disease are notifiable, data on the phenotypic and genotypic characterisation of clinical isolates are limited. This retrospective study aims to report the results of the characterisation of Legionella clinical isolates in Spain from 2012 to 2022. Monoclonal antibodies from the Dresden panel were used for phenotypic identification of Legionella pneumophila. Genotypic characterisation and sequence type assignment were performed using the Sequence-Based Typing scheme. Of the 1184 samples, 569 were identified as Legionella by culture. Of these, 561 were identified as L. pneumophila, of which 521 were serogroup 1. The most common subgroups were Philadelphia (n = 107) and Knoxville (n = 106). The SBT analysis revealed 130 different STs, with the most common genotypes being ST1 (n = 87), ST23 (n = 57), ST20 (n = 30), and ST42 (n = 29). Knoxville has the highest variability with 32 different STs. ST23 is mainly found in Allentown/France (n = 46) and ST42 in Benidorm (n = 18), whereas ST1 is widely distributed. The results demonstrate that clinical isolates show high genetic diversity, although only a few sequence types (STs) are responsible for most cases. However, outbreaks can also occur with rare genotypes. More data on LD and associated epidemiological studies are needed to establish the risk of an isolate causing outbreak in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Legionella pneumophila: A Microorganism with Thousand Faces, 2nd Edition)
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