Characterization of Legionella pneumophila isolated from environmental water and ashiyu foot spa

Masato Tachibana, Masaya Nakamoto, Yui Kimura, Takashi Shimizu, Masahisa Watarai

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Hot springs are the most common infectious source of Legionella pneumophila in Japan. However, little is known about the association between L. pneumophila and environmental waters other than hot springs. In this study, water samples from 22 environmental water sites were surveyed; of the 22 samples, five were L. pneumophila positive (23%). L. pneumophila was mainly isolated from ashiyu foot spas, a type of hot spring for the feet (3/8, 38%). These isolates had genetic loci or genes that encoded the virulence factors of L. pneumophila. Moreover, these isolates showed higher intracellular growth and stronger cytotoxicity compared with the reference strain. These results suggest that ashiyu foot spa can be the original source for L. pneumophila infection.

Original languageEnglish
Article number514395
JournalBioMed research international
Volume2013
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
  • Immunology and Microbiology(all)

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