چكيده لاتين :
The hydrophobic nature of the outermost surface of microbial cells has been implicated in their interaction with phagocytes and attachment to host cells. The interaction between seven isolates of Legionella pneumophila, of differing virulence and n-hexadecane and n-octane was investigated. Virulent strains had a higher affinity to hydrocarbons than avirulent strains. The hydrophobicity of strains appeared to be related to LD50 hyperbolically and an empirical expression relating the two variables was derived. This report extends the use of microbial adherence to hydrocarbons (MATH) as a possible tool for distinguishing between pathogenic and non-pathogenic Legionella strains. In the context of this study, the terms hydrophobic Legionella and hydrophilic Legionella are used to indicate the affinity of the organism to hydrocarbons.
