eprintid: 26337 rev_number: 18 userid: 5237 dir: disk0/00/02/63/37 datestamp: 2016-01-27 21:24:51 lastmod: 2016-11-15 14:30:50 status_changed: 2016-01-27 21:24:51 type: thesis_degree metadata_visibility: show contact_email: brookerbixler@gmail.com item_issues_count: 0 eprint_status: archive creators_name: Bixler, Brooke creators_email: brb131@pitt.edu creators_id: BRB131 title: Sequence-based typing to identify novel Polymorphisms among Legionella Pneumophila isolates in Western Pennsylvania ispublished: unpub divisions: sch_gsph_infectiousdiseasesmicrobiology full_text_status: public keywords: Legionella pneumophila, L. pneumophila, Legionnaires’ disease, sequence types, Sequence-based typing, whole genome sequencing, DNA sequences abstract: Legionella pneumophila is a gram-negative bacterium that can cause two types of human illness, Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever. The goal of this study was to determine the sequence types (STs) for several L. pneumophila isolates collected in western Pennsylvania and compare them to STs from other geographic areas. Investigating ST of L. pneumophila can help to establish control measures and determine sources of outbreaks, both of which are of great public health significance. Environmental and patient samples were collected in Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania from October 2013 through December 2014. Sequence-based typing (SBT) was conducted to determine the sequence type of L. pneumophila present in the samples. Out of the nine STs that were identified in western Pennsylvania, five were novel. The known STs found in this study were ST 8, 986, 154, and 1941. When compared to similar SBT studies done in Portugal, Canada, England, and Spain, the results of the Pittsburgh study proved to be unique due to the identification of the five novel STs. The known STs found in the study were also not commonly found in investigations in other geographic areas. Overall, the results from the Pittsburgh investigation indicate environmental and patient isolates from western Pennsylvania have a unique ST compared to other isolates of L. pneumophila from around the world. date: 2016-01-27 date_type: published pages: 29 institution: University of Pittsburgh refereed: TRUE etdcommittee_type: committee_chair etdcommittee_type: committee_member etdcommittee_type: committee_member etdcommittee_name: Martinson, Jeremy etdcommittee_name: Harrison, Lee etdcommittee_name: Glynn, Nancy etdcommittee_email: jmartins@pitt.edu etdcommittee_email: lharriso@edc.pitt.edu etdcommittee_email: glynnn@edc.pitt.edu etdcommittee_id: JMARTINS etdcommittee_id: LHARRISO etdcommittee_id: EPIDNWG etd_defense_date: 2015-11-04 etd_approval_date: 2016-01-27 etd_submission_date: 2015-11-12 etd_release_date: 2016-01-27 etd_access_restriction: immediate etd_patent_pending: FALSE thesis_type: thesis degree: MPH citation: Bixler, Brooke (2016) Sequence-based typing to identify novel Polymorphisms among Legionella Pneumophila isolates in Western Pennsylvania. Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished) document_url: http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/26337/1/Bixler-ETD_12_2015Final.pdf