title: Legionella norrlandica sp. nov., isolated from the biopurification systems of wood processing plants.
abstract: Fourteen isolates of an unknown species identified as belonging to the genus Legionella by selective growth on BCYE agar were isolated from the biopurification systems of three different wood processing plants. The mip gene sequence of all 14 isolates was identical and a close match alignment revealed 86 % sequence similarity with Legionella pneumophila serogroup 8. The whole genome of isolate LEGN(T) was sequenced, and a phylogenetic tree based on the alignment of 16S rRNA, mip, rpoB, rnpB and the 23S-5S intergenic region clustered LEGN(T) with L. pneumophila ATCC 33152(T). Analysis of virulence factors showed that strain LEGN(T) carries the majority of known L. pneumophila virulence factors. An amoeba infection assay performed to assess the pathogenicity of strain LEGN(T) towards Acanthamoeba castellanii showed that it can establish a replication vacuole in A. castellanii but does not significantly affect replication of amoebae. Taken together, the results confirm that strain LEGN(T) represents a novel species of the genus Legionella, for which the name Legionella norrlandica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LEGN(T) ( = ATCC BAA-2678(T) = CCUG 65936(T)).
authors.affiliation: The Public Health Agency of Sweden, Department of Microbiology, 171 82 Solna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rizzardi
authors.affiliation: The Public Health Agency of Sweden, Department of Microbiology, 171 82 Solna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jadwiga
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Winiecka-Krusnell
authors.affiliation: The Public Health Agency of Sweden, Department of Microbiology, 171 82 Solna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramliden
authors.affiliation: The Public Health Agency of Sweden, Department of Microbiology, 171 82 Solna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alm
authors.affiliation: The Public Health Agency of Sweden, Department of Microbiology, 171 82 Solna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: The Public Health Agency of Sweden, Department of Microbiology, 171 82 Solna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Byfors
mesh_terms: D000656:Amoeba / Q000382:microbiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D021901:DNA, Intergenic / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D007875:Legionella / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics; D014934:Wood / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D021901:DNA, Intergenic; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D037521:Virulence Factors