Quick Answer: Legionnaires’ disease is a nasty form of pneumonia, caused by Legionella pneumophila. It’s responsible for 75% of waterborne disease deaths in the U.S. The old way of detecting it, using culture-based methods, takes 7-10 days. Plus, it can miss Legionella that’s alive but just won’t grow in a lab. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing is changing that. Really good water treatment, like reverse osmosis, helps a lot with water quality issues here. AMPAC USA builds commercial and industrial systems specifically for these water treatment needs, and they come with certified, documented performance.
Borthong, Jednipit; Omori, Ryosuke; Sugimoto, Chihiro; Suthienkul, Orasa; Nakao, Ryo; Ito, Kimihito
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY, 9 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01272 JUN 19 2018
Abstract: Metagenomic analysis is a powerful way to look at bacterial communities in environmental samples. But finding a specific bacterial species with it can be tricky. You often get false positives from sequences that different bacteria share. This study used 16S rRNA amplicon and shotgun metagenomic analyses on samples from a stream and ponds at Hokkaido University. We compared different database search methods for finding bacteria, focusing on Legionella pneumophila. We used L. pneumophila-specific nested PCR as our “gold standard” to check the metagenomic analysis results.
Comparing it with the nested PCR showed that a blastn search of shotgun reads against the NCBI-NT database gave false positive results. It just wasn’t specific enough. But we also found that a blastn search of shotgun reads against a database of the catalase-peroxidase (katB) gene detected L. pneumophila with the best accuracy. This means searching against the katB gene database was better for diagnosis than other search methods. Our results suggest that to find a specific bacterial species in environmental samples using metagenomic analyses, you really need to target long genes that are unique to that bacteria.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01272/full
The post Title: Comparison of Database Search Methods for the Detection of Legionella Pneumophila in Water Samples Using Metagenomic Analysis appeared first on Facts About Water.
Source: Water Feed
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why are traditional methods for detecting Legionella pneumophila insufficient?
Traditional culture-based methods for detecting *Legionella pneumophila* can take 7–10 days to yield results. More critically, these methods often fail to detect viable but non-culturable (VBNC) forms of *Legionella*, which can still cause Legionnaires’ disease, a severe pneumonia responsible for 75% of waterborne disease deaths in the United States.
What is the most effective metagenomic method for detecting Legionella pneumophila in water?
A blastn search of shotgun reads against a database of the catalase-peroxidase (*katB*) gene demonstrated the highest diagnostic ability for detecting *Legionella pneumophila* in water samples. This method outperformed searches against the NCBI-NT database, which often led to false positive results due to shared sequences between bacterial species. Accurate detection requires targeting long genes specifically associated with the bacterial species of interest.
What challenges exist when using metagenomic analysis to detect specific bacteria like Legionella?
While metagenomic analysis is a powerful tool, detecting specific bacterial species like *Legionella pneumophila* can be challenging due to false positive detections. These occur when sequences shared between different bacterial species are mistakenly identified. The study highlighted that a blastn search against the NCBI-NT database, for instance, had problems with specificity.
How critical is accurate Legionella detection for public health?
Accurate detection of *Legionella pneumophila* is crucial as it causes Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia responsible for 75% of waterborne disease deaths in the United States. Rapid and precise identification, especially of viable but non-culturable forms, enables timely intervention and prevents outbreaks in critical environments like military bases and luxury resorts.
How do advanced water treatment systems address Legionella contamination?
Advanced water treatment technologies, including reverse osmosis, provide effective solutions for mitigating water quality challenges associated with *Legionella pneumophila*. AMPAC USA designs and manufactures commercial and industrial systems engineered to address these specific water treatment needs, offering certified, documented performance for installations across 150+ countries, ensuring safe water for diverse applications.
AMPAC USA engineers custom water purification systems for commercial, industrial, and emergency applications — from 500 GPD to multi-million GPD. Trusted by municipalities, military, and industry worldwide.
