Free-living nematodes as vectors and reservoirs of Legionella pneumophila
L. pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, is part of the natural flora in freshwater, e.g. lakes, where it occurs in small numbers. In technical water systems with elevated temperatures (e.g. showers), however, L. pneumophila can multiply strongly. Recently, it has been demonstrated that several nematode taxa, which were isolated from a cooling tower, harbored L. pneumophila. These observations suggest that nematode taxa from aquatic habitats may serve as environmental reservoirs or vectors for L. pneumophila. This may represent an underestimated risk factor for the transmission of Legionnaires' disease. Project by Prof. Dr. Liliane Ruess and Christin Hemmerling in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Michael Steinert, Institute of Microbiology, Technische Universität Braunschweig.
