Genetic variability in environmental isolates of Legionella pneumophila from Comunidad Valenciana (Spain)

Summary Legionella pneumophila is associated to recurrent outbreaks in several Comunidad Valenciana (Spain) localities, especially in Alcoi, where social and climatic conditions seem to provide an excellent environment for bacterial growth. We have analysed the nucleotide sequences of three loci fro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental microbiology 2006-06, Vol.8 (6), p.1056-1063
Main Authors: Coscollá, Mireia, Gosalbes, María José, Catalán, Vicente, González-Candelas, Fernando
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alleles
Environmental Monitoring
Genetic Variation
Geography
Legionella pneumophila
Legionella pneumophila - classification
Legionella pneumophila - genetics
Legionella pneumophila - isolation & purification
Legionnaires' Disease - prevention & control
Linkage Disequilibrium
Molecular Sequence Data
Recombination, Genetic
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Spain
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Summary:Summary Legionella pneumophila is associated to recurrent outbreaks in several Comunidad Valenciana (Spain) localities, especially in Alcoi, where social and climatic conditions seem to provide an excellent environment for bacterial growth. We have analysed the nucleotide sequences of three loci from 25 environmental isolates from Alcoi and nearby locations sampled over 3 years. The analysis of these isolates has revealed a substantial level of genetic variation, with consistent patterns of variability across loci, and comparable to that found in a large, European‐wide sampling of clinical isolates. Among the tree loci studied, fliC showed the highest level of nucleotide diversity. The analysis of isolates sampled in different years revealed a clear differentiation, with samples from 2001 being significantly distinct from those obtained in 2002 and 2003. Furthermore, although linkage disequilibrium measures indicate a clonal nature for population structure in this sample, the presence of some recombination events cannot be ruled out.
ISSN:1462-2912
1462-2920
DOI:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2006.00997.x