Distribution of Legionella species from environmental water sources of public facilities and genetic diversity of L. pneumophila serogroup 1 in South Korea.
A total of 560 Legionella species were isolated from environmental water sources from public facilities from June to September 2008 throughout South Korea. The distribution of Legionella isolates was investigated according to geographical region, facility type, and sample type. The genetic diversity of 104 isolates of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (sg 1) was analyzed by sequence-based typing (SBT). L. pneumophila was distributed broadly throughout Korea, accounting for 85.0% of the isolates, and L. pneumophila sg 1 predominated in all of the public facilities except for the springs. Legionella anisa and Legionella bozemanii predominated among non-L. pneumophila species (48.1% and 21.0%, respectively). The second most dominant strain differed depending on the facility type: L. anisa was the second most dominant strain in the buildings (10.8%), L. pneumophila sg 5 in public baths (21.6%), L. pneumophila sg 6 in factories (12.0%), and L. pneumophila sg 7 in hospitals (13.1%). In the SBT analysis, 104 L. pneumophila sg 1 isolates were differentiated into 26 sequence types (STs) and categorized into 3 clonal groups (CGs) and 10 singleton STs via the eBURST V3 program. ST1, a potential founder of major CG1, was commonly distributed (48.1%). The dominant ST in hot water was ST-K1 (7, 12, 17, 3, 35, 11, 11), which was designated in this study (36.1%). The second most dominant strain differed depending on the type of facility from which the samples were obtained. The unique allelic profile of ST-K1, obtained from hot water, was not found in the European Working Group for Legionella Infections (EWGLI) SBT database.
Lee
Hae Kyung
HK
Division of Bacterial Respiratory Infections, Center for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Shim
Jung Im
JI
Kim
Hye Eun
HE
Yu
Jae Yon
JY
Kang
Yeon Ho
YH
D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D007875:Legionella / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015995:Prevalence; D011633:Public Facilities; D056910:Republic of Korea; D014871:Water Microbiology
D004269:DNA, Bacterial