Taxonomic investigation of Legionella pneumophila using monoclonal antibodies

A panel of 19 monoclonal antibodies was used to produce patterns of immunofluorescent staining of 468 isolates of Legionella pneumophila. Twelve monoclonal antibodies were selected that divided L. pneumophila into 17 phenons which, in the majority of cases, conform to serogroup divisions. These phenons are more easily defined than the present serogroups, and isolates can be placed in them with little ambiguity. The standardized set of monoclonal antibodies was also used to define the subgroups of serogroup 1.