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Legionella pp 399–417Cite as

The Mouse as a Model for Pulmonary Legionella Infection

Part of the Methods in Molecular Biology book series (MIMB,volume 1921)

Abstract

Infection of C57BL/6 mice with wild-type Legionella pneumophila typically results in very mild disease. However, in mice where the cytosolic recognition of flagellin is impaired by mutation, L. pneumophila infection results in more severe lung inflammation that is reminiscent of Legionnaires’ disease. This can be replicated in wild-type mice by using aflagellated mutants of L. pneumophila. These models greatly facilitate the investigation of L. pneumophila virulence factors and the complex pulmonary immune system that is triggered by infection. Here we describe methods for infecting C57BL/6 mice with aflagellated L. pneumophila, the quantification of bacterial load in the lungs and isolation and analysis of invading immune cells. These assays enable the identification of phagocyte subsets and can determine whether phagocytic cells act as a replicative niche for L. pneumophila replication.

Key words

  • Pneumonia
  • Legionella
  • Phagocytes
  • Flow cytometry
  • Mucosal immunology
  • Bacterial infection

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Garrett Z. Ng & Ian R. van Driel

  2. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Anastasia Solomatina

  3. Molecular Immunology and Cell Biology, Life and Medical Sciences Institute, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Anastasia Solomatina

  4. Centre for Innate Immunity and Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Elizabeth L. Hartland

  5. Department of Molecular and Translational Science, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Elizabeth L. Hartland

Authors
  1. Garrett Z. Ng
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  2. Anastasia Solomatina
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  3. Ian R. van Driel
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  4. Elizabeth L. Hartland
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth L. Hartland .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut Pasteur, Biologie des Bactéries Intracellulaires, Paris, France

    Carmen Buchrieser

  2. Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Hubert Hilbi

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Ng, G.Z., Solomatina, A., van Driel, I.R., Hartland, E.L. (2019). The Mouse as a Model for Pulmonary Legionella Infection. In: Buchrieser, C., Hilbi, H. (eds) Legionella. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1921. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9048-1_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9048-1_25

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-9047-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-9048-1

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