A method for quantifying pulmonary Legionella pneumophila infection in mouse lungs by flow cytometry.
BACKGROUND
Pulmonary load of Legionella pneumophila in mice is normally determined by counting serial dilutions of bacterial colony forming units (CFU) on agar plates. This process is often tedious and time consuming. We describe a novel, rapid and versatile flow cytometric method that detects bacteria phagocytosed by neutrophils.


RESULTS
Mice were infected with L. pneumophila via intratracheal or intranasal administration. At various times after bacteria inoculation, mouse lungs were harvested and analysed concurrently for bacterial load by colony counting and flow cytometry analysis. The number of L. pneumophila-containing neutrophils correlated strongly with CFU obtained by bacteriological culture.


CONCLUSIONS
This technique can be utilised to determine pulmonary bacterial load and may be used in conjunction with other flow cytometric based analyses of the resulting immune response.
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia. angky@unimelb.edu.au
Desmond Koon Yong
DK
Ang
Sze Ying
SY
Ong
Andrew Stephen
AS
Brown
Elizabeth Louise
EL
Hartland
Ian Richard
IR
van Driel
D000818:Animals; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D016952:Legionella pneumophila / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007877:Legionnaires' Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL