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Appl Environ Microbiol, January 1998, p. 279-286, Vol. 64, No. 1
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Production of Respirable Vesicles Containing Live Legionella pneumophila Cells by Two Acanthamoeba spp.

Sharon G. Berk,1,* Rebecca S. Ting,1 Glenn W. Turner,2,dagger and Rebecca J. Ashburn1

Center for the Management, Utilization and Protection of Water Resources, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, Tennessee 38505,1 and Biology Department, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 371322

Received 23 June 1997/Accepted 31 October 1997

Two Acanthamoeba species, fed at three temperatures, expelled vesicles containing living Legionella pneumophila cells. Vesicles ranged from 2.1 to 6.4 µm in diameter and theoretically could contain several hundred bacteria. Viable L. pneumophila cells were observed within vesicles which had been exposed to two cooling tower biocides for 24 h. Clusters of bacteria in vesicles were not dispersed by freeze-thawing and sonication. Such vesicles may be agents for the transmission of legionellosis associated with cooling towers, and the risk may be underestimated by plate count methods.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Center for the Management, Utilization and Protection of Water Resources, P.O. Box 5033, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN 38505. Phone: (931) 372-3451. Fax: (931) 372-6346. E-mail: SBERK{at}TNTECH.EDU.

dagger Present address: Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington, State University, Pullman, WA 99164-6340.




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