Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The Journal of Hygiene logoLink to The Journal of Hygiene
. 1983 Feb;90(1):81–89. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400063877

Aerosol infection of animals with strains of Legionella pneumophila of different virulence: comparison with intraperitoneal and intranasal routes of infection.

R B Fitzgeorge, A Baskerville, M Broster, P Hambleton, P J Dennis
PMCID: PMC2134197  PMID: 6401778

Abstract

Infection of guinea-pigs by intranasal (i.n.) instillation of 10(9) viable organisms of two newly isolated strains of Legionella pneumophila (74/81, serogroup 1; 166/81, serogroup 3) did not induce disease, but 10(4) organisms administered as a small particle aerosol (less than 5 microns diameter) produced a fatal widespread broncho-pneumonia within 3 days. Milder illness and less extensive bronchopneumonia were also produced in rhesus monkeys and marmosets by one of these two strains (74/81). Mice were resistant to induction of disease by aerosols of both these two strains, though organisms did persist in the lungs for at least 4 days. Both of these L. pneumophila strains were pathogenic for guinea-pigs by aerosol infection over a wide range of doses but the serogroup 1 type strain (NCTC 11192) was not. There was no mortality after infection of guinea-pigs by intranasal instillation of any of these strains but all proved to be fatal after intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of large doses. Guinea-pigs, rhesus monkeys and marmosets exposed to aerosol infection with L. pneumophila provide relevant models for studying the pathogenesis of Legionnaires' disease.

Full text

PDF
81

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baskerville A., Fitzgeorge R. B., Broster M., Hambleton P., Dennis P. J. Experimental transmission of legionnaires' disease by exposure to aerosols of Legionella pneumophila. Lancet. 1981 Dec 19;2(8260-61):1389–1390. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(81)92803-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Berendt R. F., Young H. W., Allen R. G., Knutsen G. L. Dose-response of guinea pigs experimentally infected with aerosols of Legionella pneumophila. J Infect Dis. 1980 Feb;141(2):186–192. doi: 10.1093/infdis/141.2.186. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chandler F. W., McDade J. E., Hicklin M. D., Blackmon J. A., Thomason B. M., Ewing E. P., Jr Pathologic findings in guinea pigs inoculated intraperitoneally with the Legionnaires' disease bacterium. Ann Intern Med. 1979 Apr;90(4):671–675. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-90-4-671. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Druett H. A. A mobile form of the Henderson apparatus. J Hyg (Lond) 1969 Sep;67(3):437–448. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400041851. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Edelstein P. H. Improved semiselective medium for isolation of Legionella pneumophila from contaminated clinical and environmental specimens. J Clin Microbiol. 1981 Sep;14(3):298–303. doi: 10.1128/jcm.14.3.298-303.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fliermans C. B., Cherry W. B., Orrison L. H., Thacker L. Isolation of Legionella pneumophila from nonepidemic-related aquatic habitats. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1979 Jun;37(6):1239–1242. doi: 10.1128/aem.37.6.1239-1242.1979. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Glick T. H., Gregg M. B., Berman B., Mallison G., Rhodes W. W., Jr, Kassanoff I. Pontiac fever. An epidemic of unknown etiology in a health department: I. Clinical and epidemiologic aspects. Am J Epidemiol. 1978 Feb;107(2):149–160. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112517. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. HARPER G. J., MORTON J. D. The respiratory retention of bacterial aerosols: experiments with radioactive spores. J Hyg (Lond) 1953 Sep;51(3):372–385. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400015801. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. HENDERSON D. W. An apparatus for the study of airborne infection. J Hyg (Lond) 1952 Mar;50(1):53–68. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400019422. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. McDade J. E., Shepard C. C. Virulent to avirulent conversion of Legionnaires' disease bacterium (Legionella pneumophila)--its effect on isolation techniques. J Infect Dis. 1979 Jun;139(6):707–711. doi: 10.1093/infdis/139.6.707. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Tobin J. O., Bartlett C. L., Waitkins S. A., Barrow G. I., Macrae A. D., Taylor A. G., Fallon R. J., Lynch F. R. Legionnaires' disease: further evidence to implicate water storage and distribution systems as sources. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1981 Feb 14;282(6263):573–573. doi: 10.1136/bmj.282.6263.573. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Tobin J. O., Beare J., Dunnill M. S., Fisher-Hoch S., French M., Mitchell R. G., Morris P. J., Muers M. F. Legionnaires' disease in a transplant unit: isolation of the causative agent from shower baths. Lancet. 1980 Jul 19;2(8186):118–121. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(80)90005-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Tobin J. O., Swann R. A., Bartlett C. L. Isolation of Legionella pneumophila from water systems: methods and preliminary results. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1981 Feb 14;282(6263):515–517. doi: 10.1136/bmj.282.6263.515. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Hygiene are provided here courtesy of Cambridge University Press

RESOURCES