Recognition of a new serogroup of Legionnaires disease bacterium

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Abstract
A strain of the Legionnaires disease bacterium (LDB) isolated from a post-mortem lung specimen of a patient with fatal atypical pneumonia in Togus, Maine [USA] was serologically different from 16 other strains of LDB that were isolated previously from patients in other geographic locations. The serological differences of the Togus isolate were shown in results of direct and indirect fluorescent antibody staining and immunoelectrophoresis with soluble antigen extracts. Seroconversion for the Togus strain of LDB in acute- and convalescent-phase sera from a 2nd patient with atypical pneumonia indicated that this patient was infected with an LDB that was serologically similar or identical to the Togus isolate. The Togus serogroup of LDB should be considered when performing serological tests for Legionnaires disease.