And so, #14DaysofMicrobiologyPoems continues.

I reached out to the science Twitterverse earlier this month in search of 14 microbes worthy of poems.

Here is Poem Eleven, requested by @anatomysupply.

 

 

 

Legionella pneumophila: Infecting amoeba, infecting macrophages

Legionella pneumophila.
It’s the bringer of an atypical pneumonia
Called Legionnaires’ disease.

L. pneumophila infects a type of white blood cell,
Grows inside,
And then bursts out of the cell
To infect others.

Found naturally in freshwater,
It often travels elsewhere:
Hot water tanks,
Hot tubs,
And cooling towers.
Yes, it really like water.

In freshwater,
L. pneumophila can grow within another organism:
The amoeba.

It’s an interesting relationship.
Where temperatures and other conditions are key.

With higher temperatures, L. pneumophila multiples,
And the chances of transmission and disease increases.

But if the amoeba gets stressed,
(yes microbes get stressed: suboptimal temperatures, limited nutrients, and the like)
The amoeba turns into a cyst.
Bacterial growth within ceases
And still any L. pneumophila inside survives.

In better times,
The bacterial cells begin to multiply,
Soon reaching a point where they escape from the amoeba.
The amoeba bursts and bacteria escape into open waters,
In vesicles or on their own.

But interesting thing about L. pneumophila cells that have gone through stress,
When they get released from the amoeba,
They are more resilient to harsh conditions
Compared to those that were not stressed.
And now better suited for infection.

Further reading:

Cellular microbiology and molecular ecology of Legionella–amoeba interaction. Virulence. 2013.