Ten New Species of Legionella

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Abstract
New Legionella spp. were characterized on the basis of biochemical reactions, antigens, cellular fatty acids, isoprenoid quinones and DNA relatedness. Nine of the new species were isolated from the environment, and 1, L. hackeliae, was isolated from a bronchial biopsy specimen obtained from a patient with pneumonia. The species all exhibited the following biochemical reactions typical of the legionellae: growth on buffered cysteine-yeast extract agar, but not on blood agar; growth requirement for cysteine; gram negative; nitrate negative; urease negative; nonfermentative; catalase positive; production of a brown pigment of tyrosine-containing yeast extract agar; liquefaction of gelatin; and motility. L. spiritensis was weakly positive for hydrolysis of hippurate; the other species were hippurate negative. L. cherrii, L. steigerwaltii and L. parisiensis exhibited bluish white autofluorescence. L. rubrilucens and L. erythra exhibited red autofluorescence. The other species, L. spiritensis, L. hackeliae, L. maceachernii, L. jamestowniensis and L. santicrucis did not autofluoresce bluish white or red. All species had cellular fatty acid contents qualitatively similar to those of previously described legionellae and had major amounts of ubiquinones with more than 10 isoprene units in the side chains. Each new species was serologically distinct from previously described Legionella spp. As determined by the hydroxyapatite method at 60.degree. C, 2 strains of L. maceachernii were 100% related and 4 strains of L. cherrii were 94-99% related. The other new species were represented by single strains. The leves of relatedness of the new species to each other and to previously described legionellae ranged from 1-67%. L. maceachernii, L. jamestowniensis and L. hackeliae were < 25% related to other species. L. rubrilucens and L. erythra, and 2 red-autofluorescing species, were .apprx. 60% interrelated. L. spiritensis (a non-autofluorescing species) was 34% related to L. rubrilucens. L. santicrucis was 64% related to L. sainthelensi. The 3 bluish white-autofluorescing species, L. parisiensis, L. cherrii and L. steigerwaltii were most closely related to other bluish white-autofluorescing species, especially L. bozemanii, L. dumoffii, L. gormanii and L. anisa (35-67%).