Legionnaires' disease, a potentially fatal type of pneumonia primarily affecting elderly and immuno-compromised persons, is caused by the ubiquitous environmental bacterium Legionella pneumophila . This book offers authoritative reviews of different facets of its virulence, focusing on comparative phagocyte infection, virulence gene regulation, biochemical functions of effector proteins and cellular pathogen-host interactions, as well as host responses and immunity to L. pneumophila . Taken together, the contributions in this compilation provide a state-of-the-art overview of current insights into the molecular pathogenesis of the opportunistic and potentially fatal pathogen L. pneumophila .

<p>From amoeba to macrophages: exploring the molecular mechanisms of <i>Legionella</i> infection in both hosts

The <i>Legionella pneumophila</i> two-component regulatory systems that participate in the regulation of Icm/Dot effectors
Facets of small RNA-mediated regulation in <i>Legionella pneumophila
</i>Type II secretion and <i>Legionella</i> virulence
Effector translocation by the <i>Legionella</i> Icm/Dot type IV secretion system
Modulation of small GTPases by <i>Legionella
</i>Host lipidation: A mechanism for spatial regulation of <i>Legionella</i> effectors
Phosphoinositides and the <i>Legionella</i> pathogen vacuole
<i>Legionella</i> phospholipases implicated in virulence
Cytotoxic glucosyltransferases of<i> Legionella pneumophila
</i>Modulation of the ubiquitination machinery by <i>Legionella
</i>Host signal transduction and protein kinases implicated in <i>Legionella</i> infection
Mouse models of Legionnaires´ disease.</p>