An Investigation on the Molecular Characteristics and Intracellular Growth Ability among Environmental and Clinical Isolates of Legionella pneumophila in Sichuan Province, China.

Lin Zi Zeng; Hong Yu Liao; Long Ze Luo; Shu Sen HE; Tian Qin; Hai Jian Zhou; Hong Xia LI; Da Li Chen; Jian Ping Chen

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An Investigation on the Molecular Characteristics and Intracellular Growth Ability among Environmental and Clinical Isolates of Legionella pneumophila in Sichuan Province, China.

Author: Lin Zi ZENG ^{1
,

2} ; Hong Yu LIAO ³ ; Long Ze LUO ³ ; Shu Sen HE ³ ; Tian QIN ⁴ ; Hai Jian ZHOU ⁴ ; Hong Xia LI ⁵ ; Da Li CHEN ⁶ ; Jian Ping CHEN ⁶
Author Information

1. Department of Parasitology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
2. Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
3. Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
4. State Key Laboratory for Infectious Disease Prevention and Control, National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 102206, China.
5. Chengdu first people's Hospital, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
6. Department of Parasitology, West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Clinical; Environments; Intracellular growth ability; L. pneumoph-ila; Molecular characteristics; Sichuan
MeSH: Bacterial Proteins; genetics; Bacterial Toxins; genetics; China; Genotyping Techniques; Humans; Legionella pneumophila; genetics; growth & development; isolation & purification; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; genetics; Water Microbiology
From: Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2019;32(7):520-530
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract: OBJECTIVE:To investigate the molecular characteristics and intracellular growth ability of Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) strains from 1989 to 2016 in Sichuan Province, China.
METHODS:Seventy-nine isolates of L. pneumophila were collected from environmental and clinical sources, including cooling towers, hot springs, bath water, fountains, and patients, and identified with 16S rRNA gene analysis and serum agglutination assay. The isolates were then typed by Sequence-Based Typing (SBT), and Genotyping of forty-two LP1 strains were analyzed by means of multiple-locus VNTR analysis with 8 loci (MLVA-8). All strains were further analyzed for two virulence genes: Legionella vir homologue (lvh) and repeats in structural toxin (rtxA). The intracellular growth ability of 33 selected isolates was determined by examining their interaction with J774 cells.
RESULTS:All isolates were identified to L. pneumophila including 11 serogroups, among which the main serogroup were LP1, accounting for 54.43%. Thirty-three different sequence types (STs) from five main clonal groups and five singletons were identified, along with 8 different MLVA patterns. Both the lvh and rtxA loci were found in all 79 strains. Thirty isolates showed high intracellular growth ability in J774 cells.
CONCLUSION:L. pneumophila is a potential threat to public health, and effective control and prevention strategies are urgently needed.