Legionella interaction sites in the alveoli

Öffentlicher Abendvortrag

The Gram-negative bacterium Legionella pneumophila naturally inhabits freshwaters and biofilms, where it parasitizes within protozoan hosts. Upon aerosol formation via man-made water systems, L. pneumophila can enter, colonize and damage the human lung. Chest radiographs typically demonstrate patchy, peripheral, non-segmental consolidations. Electron microscopy shows L. pneumophila intracellularly within macrophages and neutrophils and it is well documented that the bacteria multiply within a reprogrammed Legionella-specific vacuole. I will discuss several infection models to analyse the extracellular and intracellular pathogenicity of L. pneumophila. A special focus will be on the collagen-binding macrophage infectivity potentiator (Mip) protein. Mip is a peptidyl-prolyl-cis/trans-isomerase (PPIase) and contributes to the dissemination of L. pneumophila within the lung.


Michael Steinert (*1966 in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany) studied Biology and received his PhD at the University of Würzburg. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, USA) he became a group leader at the Institute for Molecular Infection Biology in Würzburg. Since 2007 he is professor for Microbiology at the Technical University of Braunschweig. Presently Michael Steinert is managing director of the Institute for Microbiology in Braunschweig.


Moderation: Professor Dr. Sven Hammerschmidt


Zurück zu allen Veranstaltungen