Legionella pneumophila is the leading cause of Legionnaire's Disease, an often fatal disease first discovered in 1976 among a group of elderly men attending an American Legion Convention in Philadelphia. Scientists investigating microbe populations in the oceans unexpectedly turned up 32 strains of Legionella, which previously hadn't been known to exist in saltwater environments. The majority of Legionella bacteria are not pathogenic. (Image Copyright Dennis Kunkel Microscopy, Inc.)[back]
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