About Legionella
Microbiology
Legionella pneumophila is the primary causative agent of legionellosis, which includes Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever. Legionnaires’ disease is characterized by pneumonia, while Pontiac fever is characterized by a less severe influenza-like illness. Legionellosis is acquired when water containing legionella becomes aerosolized and is inhaled. There are at least 50 species, and 70 serogroups of legionella identified to date. Identification of legionella to species and serogroup differs from typical bacterial identification, requiring specialized media, culture conditions, and identification techniques. Legionella is a bacterium that naturally occurs in freshwater environments worldwide, including streams, lakes, and mud. Legionella also can colonize human-made water systems like cooling towers, building water systems, evaporative condensers, and recreational structures such as jacuzzies and fountains. Incidences of legionella are increasingly being reported from human- made water structures and environments as testing becomes more refined.
Diseases
Serogroups
Legionella Testing 3
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