title: Infection of nonphagocytic host cells by legionella.
abstract: Legionella pneumophila is an intracellular pathogen of free-living protozoa that can also infect alveolar macrophages, L929 fibroblast cells, and HeLa cells. Infection of nonphagocytic cells by L. pneumophila can be used to study invasion mechanisms, compare infectivity of different strains and identify factors important for virulence. Virulent strains of L. pneumophila exposed to monolayers of L929 cells are able to invade and form virus-like plaques, which can be enumerated as a measure of infectivity. Invasiveness of HeLa cells can also be used to evaluate relative infectivity and to study mechanisms of invasion and to track the development of cyst-like forms. The detailed methods of both the L929 plaque assay and HeLa cell invasion assay are described.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
authors.forename: Shandra R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Day
authors.forename: Costi D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Sifri
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D058491:Bacterial Load; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002460:Cell Line; D006367:HeLa Cells; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007875:Legionella / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D016952:Legionella pneumophila / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar