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Legionella pneumophila monoclonal antibody subgroups and DNA sequence types isolated in Canada between 1981 and 2009: Laboratory Component of National Surveillance

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Abstract

Legionella pneumophila (Lp) is a significant cause of nosocomial, community-acquired, and travel-associated pneumonia in industrialized regions. Legionellosis has been a nationally notifiable disease in Canada since 1986, with an average of 75 cases reported annually; however, only the most severe, and often fatal, cases are reported or investigated. Here, epidemiological relationships, types, and distribution of Lp referrals to the Canadian national reference center were studied. Lp strains from different years, sources, and geographic locations were subtyped using a sequence-based typing (SBT) scheme and by the ‘Joly’ and/or ‘Dresden’ monoclonal antibody panels. Included were 128 epidemiologically unrelated clinical and 86 unrelated environmental strains. Sixty-four (index of diversity [IOD] = 0.964) and 45 (IOD = 0.888) sequence types (STs) were observed among clinical and environmental sources, respectively. Serogroup (sg) 1 was represented by 60.2% (77/128) and 52.3% (45/86) of clinical and environmental strains, respectively, and 63.6% (49/77) and 15.6% (7/45) of those were mAb2-positive, respectively. Serogroup 1, ST1 accounted for 14.1% (18/128) and 30.2% (26/86) of unrelated clinical and environmental isolates, respectively. This database will serve as a basis for Canadian epidemiological surveillance efforts and is linked to global surveillance initiatives curated by the European Working Group for Legionella Infections (EWGLI) network.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the physicians and laboratory personnel from the client laboratories that forwarded clinical isolates and histories. A special thank you goes to Tim Harrison, Norman Fry, and the EWGLI for their valuable scientific advice and for taking the lead in the active surveillance of legionellosis, as well as Dr. J. H. Helbig for assistance with the use of the Dresden panel, and Dr. J. Joly and colleagues for their work in typing strains. We also thank Dr. B. Dutka and colleagues for their efforts in sampling large numbers of natural and man-made water sources for Legionella in the 1980s.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Special Bacteriology, Emerging Bacterial Pathogens Division, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, R3E 3R2, Canada

    A. R. Reimer & K. A. Bernard

  2. University of Manitoba, Room 543 Basic Medical Sciences Building, 745 Bannatyne Avenue, Winnipeg, R3E 0J9, Canada

    S. Au, S. Schindle & K. A. Bernard

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  1. A. R. Reimer
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  2. S. Au
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  4. K. A. Bernard
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Correspondence to A. R. Reimer.

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Reimer, A.R., Au, S., Schindle, S. et al. Legionella pneumophila monoclonal antibody subgroups and DNA sequence types isolated in Canada between 1981 and 2009: Laboratory Component of National Surveillance. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 29, 191–205 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-009-0840-3

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