Electrophoretic characterization of soluble protein extracts of Legionella pneumophila and other members of the family Legionellaceae.

The soluble peptides of strains of Legionella pneumophila, Tatlockia micdadei, Fluoribacter bozemanae, Fluoribacter dumoffii, and Fluoribacter gormanii were studied by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Characteristic patterns were seen for Legionella and Tatlockia strains, whereas the patterns for the Fluoribacter strains were variable as would be expected for this genetically heterogeneous group. Grouping by peptide pattern was consistent with proposed taxons based on DNA-DNA homology. By using a new silver stain technique, the sensitivity and ease of pattern recognition were enhanced significantly. This technique is an easily applied general method for distinguishing between strains in epidemiological studies.