Bacterium
Legionella pneumophila
Water-associated intracellular rod
lee-juh-NEL-uh noo-MOH-fih-luh
High-yield clue
Water system exposure vocabulary + atypical pneumonia teaching clue.
Overview
A water-associated bacterium used to teach atypical pneumonia vocabulary, intracellular survival concepts, and outbreak investigation framing.
Classification
- Gram-negative
- Rod
- Intracellular survival concept
Lab & identification clues
- Poor Gram-stain visibility in teaching examples
- Urinary antigen vocabulary
- Buffered charcoal yeast extract is a term to recognize, not a protocol
Associations
- Atypical pneumonia vocabulary
- Cooling-tower/outbreak framing
- Intracellular pathogen concept
Commonly confused with
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae
- Streptococcus pneumoniae
Your notes
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.