Beschreibung:
<jats:p>
<jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="genus" xlink:type="simple">
<jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.2337" xlink:type="simple">
<jats:italic>Legionella</jats:italic>
</jats:ext-link>
</jats:named-content>-like bacteria were isolated from the respiratory tract of two patients in California, USA, and South Australia, but were not thought to cause disease. These bacteria, strains F2632 and IMVS-3376<jats:sup>T</jats:sup>, were found to have identical <jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="genus" xlink:type="simple">
<jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.2337" xlink:type="simple">
<jats:italic>Legionella</jats:italic>
</jats:ext-link>
</jats:named-content> macrophage infectivity potentiator <jats:italic>(mip)</jats:italic> gene sequences and were therefore further characterized to determine their genetic and phenotypic relatedness and properties. Both of these Gram-negative-staining bacterial strains grew on buffered charcoal yeast extract medium, were cysteine auxotrophs and made a characteristic diffusible bright yellow fluorescent pigment, with one strain making a late appearing colony-bound blue–white fluorescent pigment. The optimal <jats:italic>in vitro</jats:italic> growth temperature was 35 °C, with very poor growth at 37 °C in broth or on solid media. There was no growth in human A549 cells at either 35 or 37 °C, but excellent growth in <jats:italic>Acanthamoeba castellani</jats:italic> at 30 °C and poorer growth at 35 °C. Phylogenetic analysis of these bacteria was performed by sequence analysis of 16S rRNA, <jats:italic>mip</jats:italic>, ribonuclease P, ribosomal polymerase B and zinc metalloprotease genes. These studies confirmed that the new strains represented a single novel species of the genus <jats:named-content xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" content-type="genus" xlink:type="simple">
<jats:ext-link ext-link-type="uri" xlink:href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1601/nm.2337" xlink:type="simple">
<jats:italic>Legionella</jats:italic>
</jats:ext-link>
</jats:named-content> for which the name <jats:italic>Legionella steelei</jats:italic> sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is IMVS-3376<jats:sup>T</jats:sup> ( = IMVS 3113<jats:sup>T</jats:sup> = ATCC BAA-2169<jats:sup>T</jats:sup>).</jats:p>