Isolation of the 1st strains of Legionella pneumophila in the USSR

For the first time L. pneumophila strains were isolated from pneumonia patients in the USSR. To isolate these strains, the material obtained from the patients was inoculated into charcoal-yeast agar with antibiotics or into guinea pigs with the subsequent inoculation of chick embryos. Both isolated strains were classified with serogroup 1 of L. pneumophila on the basis of their cultural, morphological, biochemical and serological properties.