Isolation of a new Legionella species from thermally altered waters

Legionella -like bacteria were isolated from thermally altered water in Pennsylvania and Minnesota. these organisms were isolated from tissues of infected guinea pigs after intraperitoneal inoculation of water concentrates. While the cultural and morphological characteristics indicated the isolates were Legionella , they did not react with antibodies prepared against known species of the genus. Antisera prepared against one of the isolates reacted maximally with the other ten isolates. Fluorescent antibody analysis of water concentrates from geographically disparate sites indicated that the environmental distribution is broad and that concentrations of the Oak Ridge strain of Legionella were similar to those of serogroups 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Legionella pneumophila .