Growth temperature reversibly modulates the virulence of Legionella pneumophila

Abstract

In chemostat culture, the virulence of two strains of Legionella pneumophila was shown to be significantly (P < 0.05) reduced when the culture temperature was lowered from 37 to 24 degrees C. This modulation was reversed by returning the temperature to 37 degrees C, which resulted in a statistically significant (P < 0.05) increase in virulence.