Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 13, 2026
Use of Galleria mellonella as a Model Organism to Study Legionella pneumophila Infection
Published on: November 22, 2013
[How to reduce the risk of Legionnaires' disease?]
Anne Carbonne1, Pascal Astagneau
1CCLIN Paris-Nord, institut biomédical des Cordeliers, 75006 Paris. acarbonn@bhdc.jussieu.fr
Abstract:
Legionella pneumophila is a microorganism present in water and able to develop pneumoniae through inhalation of contaminated aerosols. Legionnaires'disease is rare (1000 cases per year in France) concerning particularly people with risk factors, but potentially with severe prognosis (lethality 15-20%). The diagnosis was recently facilitated by the introduction of urinary antigen test. Hospital is the most frequent place where L. pneumophila were acquired; however the proportion of nosocomial cases is decreasing since 2001. The associated mortality is higher for hospital acquired cases than for community acquired cases. Several official guidelines were written about prevention of legionnaires' disease. Primary prevention is essentially based on control and maintaining of water-distribution system. Secondary prevention should be a prompt response to identification of a case in order to find the source of Legionella and to protect immunocompromised persons.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Pneumonia V: Nursing management and Prevention
The nurse must practice strict medical asepsis and adhere to infection control guidelines to minimize healthcare-associated infections.
Enhance airway patency
Position the patient correctly to facilitate drainage of the affected lung segments. Manual or mechanical percussion and vibration can also be employed.
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:26Standard Precaution
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
01:25Transmission-based Precautions II: Airborne and Protective Environment
Airborne precautions:
Use airborne precautions when treating patients known or suspected to have diseases that spread through the air—for example, tuberculosis or measles. These organisms are present in smaller droplets expelled by an infected person and...
01:28Pulmonary Tuberculosis V
Latent tuberculosis infection occurs when TB bacteria are present in a person's body, but are not causing illness or symptoms. It is not contagious, and preventive treatment is crucial to avoid the progression...
01:17Transmission-based Precautions I: Contact, Enteric, and Droplets
Contact Precautions:
Contact precautions are the measures taken to prevent the transmission of infectious agents, especially epidemiologically important microorganisms such as MRSA or influenza, primarily transmitted through direct or indirect contact with an...