THE PRESENCE OF DOT/ICM, LVH, AND RTXA GENES IN LEGIONELLA SPECIES FROM PUBLIC FACILITIES  IN BUSAN, KOREA 2020-2022

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Keywords:

Legionella spp, environmental surveillance, public facility, virulence gene

Abstract

Legionella spp are prevalent worldwide in both constructed and natural water systems and the rates of their detection have increased in environments such as buildings, public baths, and hospitals.  The study focused on detecting Legionella spp in public water systems in Busan from 2020 to 2022 and on investigating the presence of the virulence genes dot/icm, lvh, and rtxA in Legionella-positive water samples.  Legionella isolates (n = 660) were collected, with L. pneumophila and non-L. pneumophila species accounting for 80.8 and 19.2% respectively.  Among L. pneumophila isolates (n = 533), 196 belonged to serogroup 1 and 337 to serogroups 2-14, both known to cause legionellosis.  Among the non-L. pneumphila isolates  (n = 127), L. anisa was the most common, followed by L. nautarum, then  L. busanensis and L. londiniensis.  At least one virulence gene was detected in 80.6% of all Legionella-positive isolates, with the majority of L. pneumophila carrying virulence genes compared to 9% of non-L. pneumophila spp.  The presence of virulence genes in L. pneunophila and non-L. pneumophila spp collected from public water sources in Busan constitutes a potential risk of infection outbreaks within the city.

Author Biography

  • Su-Jeong Hwang, Busan Metropolitan City Institute of Health and Environment

    Microbiology Team

    Researcher

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Published

2025-01-16 — Updated on 2025-01-16

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