Growth

And we’re back! This time with more information and more pictures, this time pertaining to the growth of this bacteria which we know as Legionella pneumophila. As stated in the last post, this is a rod shaped, gram-negative bacteria. It does not form spores, and it is oxygenated. We also discussed how it can grow up to 20 micrometers in length. But in what conditions do these bacteria grow? Optimally, they grow at 36 degrees Celsius, and under these temperatures they can generate/grow within 99 minutes (Botzenhart, K., et al, 1996). Also, they optimally grow in fresh water and soil alongside other bacteria (Botzenhart, K., et al, 1996). To grow, they also require iron salts and L-cysteine (Botzenhart, K., et al, 1996). Legionella pneumophila is characterized as a heterotrophic bacterium, meaning that it obtains its nutrients from other organic forms of matter. Legionella reproduce both intracellularly and extracellularly through the process of binary fission. If you are not familiar, binary fission is a process in which a body of a bacterium divides into two; this is a form of asexual reproduction. Surprisingly, this bacterium has no insanely different forms of reproduction, this is as textbook as it gets! Here is a diagram of how it works below:

References:

Botzenhart, K., Bartram, J., Butler, J., Havelaar, A., Lee, J., Mariee, T., . . . Yu, V. (1996). Legionella. Water Sanitation Health.