• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.511-519
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• 2019

Objectives: The standard method for the enumeration of environmental Legionella is culturing, which has several disadvantages, including long incubation and poor sensitivity. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the usefulness of real-time PCR and to improve the standard method. Methods: In 200 environmental water samples, a real-time PCR and culture were conducted to detect and quantify Legionella. Using with the results of the survey, we compared the real-time PCR with the culture. Results: Each real-time PCR assay had 100% specificity and excellent sensitivity (5 GU/reaction). In the culture, 36 samples were positive and 164 samples were negative. Based on the results of the culture, real-time PCR showed a high negative predictive value of 99%, 35 samples were true positive, 105 samples were true negative, 59 samples were false positive and one sample was a false negative. Quantitative analysis of the two methods indicated a weak linear correlation ($r^2=0.29$, $r^2=0.61$, respectively). Conclusions: Although it is difficult to directly apply quantitative analysis results of real-time PCR in the enumeration of environmental Legionella, it can be used as a complementary means of culturing to rapidly screen negative samples and to improve the accuracy of diagnosis.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.1-6
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• 2002

This study was carried out to investigate the distribution of Legionella spp and microbe from cooling towers water of Public establishments in Seoul and Gyeonggi-Do. As results of this study, the cooling tower 132 sites were detecting L. pneumophila in order to July(12%) > August (14%) > June, September no-detected. The public establishments were detecting L. pneumophila in order to Department store(27.3%) > Hospital(8.7%) > Office(5.9%) > Big Mart(5.0%) > Hotel, Subway no-detected. The correlation coefficient pH and L.pneumophila showed 0.62(p=0.05), 0.27(p=0.45) in temperature and L.pheumophila, 0.40(p=0.25) in turbidity and L.pneumophila.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.218-223
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• 1999

Legionella pneumophila, the cause of Legionnaires disease, is able to survive intracellularly in eukaryotic cells such as monocytes, macrophages, and protozoan organisms. During protein biosynthesis, the rph gene encodes ribonuclease (RNase) PH which functions as a phosphorolytic nuclease that removes nucleotides following the CCA terminus of tRNA and as a nucleotidyl-transferase which adds nucleotides to the ends of RNA molecules by usingnucelside diohosphates as substrates. In this sutdy, the rph gene was screened in pUC19 library employing a DNA probe which was constructed from PCR based on a consensus pattern of multiple alignment of RNas PH. The encoded protein consists of 235 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular weight of 26,112 Daltons. The RNase PH signature domains are completely conserved.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.472-478
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• 2021

Background: The Legionella case detection and notification rate have increased in public artificial water environments where people visit, including large buildings, public baths, and hospitals. Objectives: In this study, the distribution of Legionella and its epidemiologic characteristics were analyzed in the water systems of public facilities in Chungcheongnam-do Province in South Korea. Methods: Culture and PCR analysis were performed on 2,991 environmental water system samples collected from 2017 to 2019, and associations with year, facilities, seasons, and temperature of water system were statistically analyzed by using R-Studio for Windows. Descriptive data was compared using chi-square tests and independent t-tests. Results: The detection rate of Legionella increased from 3.1% in 2017 to 10.3% in 2019, appearing most frequently in the order of public baths, large-scale buildings, hospitals, and apartments. It was detected mainly in summer from June to August, over 1.0×10³ CFU/L on average in 133 cases (66.5%). Lots of germs were detected in bathtub water, cooling tower water, and warm water (p<0.001), and it was detected at higher rates in the cities where multipurpose facilities were concentrated than in rural areas (p=0.018). Conclusions: This study suggests that continuous monitoring and control are required for Legionella in the water system environment of high risk facilities. Moreover, these results will be helpful to prepare efficient management plans to prevent the Legionellosis that occurs in Chungcheongnam-do Province.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.209-211
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• 2002

실내공기오염을 일으키는 오염물질은 SO$_2$, NOx, 흡연, 먼지 등 여러 종류가 있고, 이것들에 대한 연구는 계속 연구가 진행되고 있으나, 호흡기성 감염을 일으키는 레지오넬라균(Legionella spp), 세균(Bacteria), 진균(Fungus) 등에 대해 실내공기오염 측면에서 다른 연구는 찾아보기 어려운 실정이다. (중략)

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.112-116
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• 2003

An immunosensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) onto a protein G layer by Self-assembly technique was developed for detection of Legionella pneumophila. The protein G layer by self-assembly technique was fabricated on a gold (Au) surface by adsorbing the 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) and an activation process for the chemical binding of the free amino (-NH$_2$) of protein G and 11-(MUA) using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDAC) in series. The formation of the protein G layer by self-assembly technique on the Au Substrate and the binding of the antibody and antigen in series were confirmed by SPR spectroscopy. The Surface topographies of the fabricated thin films on an Au substrate were also analyzed by using an atomic force microscope (AFM). Consequently, an immunosensor for the detection of L. pneumophila using SPR was developed with a detection limit of up to 10$^2$CFU per mL.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.67-76
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• 2021

Legionella pneumophila is an opportunistic pathogen that survives and proliferates within protists such as Acanthamoeba spp. in environment. However, intracellular pathogenic endosymbiosis and its implications within Acanthamoeba spp. remain poorly understood. In this study, RNA sequencing analysis was used to investigate transcriptional changes in A. castellanii in response to L. pneumophila infection. Based on RNA sequencing data, we identified 1,211 upregulated genes and 1,131 downregulated genes in A. castellanii infected with L. pneumophila for 12 hr. After 24 hr, 1,321 upregulated genes and 1,379 downregulated genes were identified. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed that L. pneumophila endosymbiosis enhanced hydrolase activity, catalytic activity, and DNA binding while reducing oxidoreductase activity in the molecular function (MF) domain. In particular, multiple genes associated with the GO term 'integral component of membrane' were downregulated during endosymbiosis. The endosymbiont also induced differential expression of various methyltransferases and acetyltransferases in A. castellanii. Findings herein are may significantly contribute to understanding endosymbiosis of L. pneumophila within A. castellanii.

• Proceedings of the Microbiological Society of Korea Conference
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• 1999.04a
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• pp.27-28
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• 1999

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.27-34
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• 2018

The cytoplasm in mammalian cells is a battlefield between the host and invading microbes. Both the living organisms have evolved unique strategies for their survival. The host utilizes a specialized autophagy system, xenophagy, for the clearance of invading pathogens, whereas bacteria secrete proteins to defend and escape from the host xenophagy. Several molecules have been identified and their structural investigation has enabled the comprehension of these mechanisms at the molecular level. In this review, we focus on one example of host autophagy and the other of bacterial defense: the autophagy receptor, NDP52, in conjunction with the sugar receptor, galectin-8, plays a critical role in targeting the autophagy machinery against Salmonella; and the cysteine protease, RavZ secreted by Legionella pneumophila cleaves the LC3-PE on the phagophore membrane. The structure-function relationships of these two examples and the directions of future research will be discussed.

• Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.250-257
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• 2004

Recently, the use of UVC lamps inside building air-conditioning system has been increasing in both medical and nonmedical buildings for the control of environmental microorganisms. In the present study, irradiance performance test of UVC lamp was carried out and surface sterilization effect of UV ray was investigated by using UV ray irradiation experimental chamber and pilot system. Experimental results show that the effective irradiance of UVC lamp is strongly dependent on air velocity and temperature with exception of relative huminity in air-conditioning system. An individual microbiological kill effectiveness experiment also shows that the fractional kill of two microbiological samples such as E. Coli and Legionella is roughly the same as the estimated fractional kill in the case of chamber test and pilot system test.