A Study on amoebic dynamics and interactions in Legionella species for risk assessment of Legionella infection.

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K12376
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 64010:Environmental load and risk assessment-related
• Research Institution: Kobe Institute of Health
• Principal Investigator: Nakanishi Noriko 神戸市健康科学研究所, 感染症部, 副部長 (50615490)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 野本 竜平 神戸市健康科学研究所, その他部局等, 副部長 (60642238)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: レジオネラ属菌 / 宿主アメーバ / 感染 / 相互作用 / アメーバ内動態 / ゲノム解析 / RNA-seq

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to elucidate the interactions between host amoeba and Legionella species in various environments. We found differences in infectivity between Legionella species in infection experiment using various amoebae. The difference in the growth rate of L. pneumophila in some amoebae was comprehensively analyzed by RNA-seq for the variation in gene expression in the presence of amoebae, suggesting that it may be due to the difference in gene expression after internalinvasion within the amoebae. Furthermore, the plasmids possessed by L. pneumophila that colonize cooling towers may contribute to the pathogenicity and adaptation to the cooling tower environment.

Free Research Field

細菌学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は、環境中でレジオネラが生残していく戦略を明らかにすると共に、それに必要な因子をマーカーとすることで、環境中におけるレジオネラ感染制御法が確立されることが期待される。また、レジオネラ属菌種の病原性獲得機構および生存戦略の解明は、感染リスクの評価や公衆衛生の観点からも重要である。