Legionella pneumophila
1
7.3
- noun
- /ˌliːdʒəˈnɛlə puːnəˈfaɪlə/
- Specialized
- Cooling towers and plumbing networks can harbor Legionella pneumophila, posing a risk to public health.
Examples
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The hospital took immediate action after Legionella pneumophila was detected in its water system.
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A sample from the patient's lungs confirmed an infection with Legionella pneumophila.
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Legionella pneumophila is responsible for causing Legionnaires' disease.
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The presence of Legionella pneumophila in water systems can be dangerous.
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A sample from the patient's lungs confirmed an infection with Legionella pneumophila.
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Cooling towers and plumbing networks can harbor Legionella pneumophila, posing a risk to public health.
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The presence of Legionella pneumophila in water systems can be dangerous.
Synonyms
1
9.4
A type of bacteria that lives in warm water systems and can cause a serious lung infection
Surface Forms
Morphology
legionella + pneumophila
This is a Latin binomial scientific name (a taxonomic proper noun) rather than a compositional everyday phrase, and the second constituent 'pneumophila' is not a common English word in the provided data. A B1 learner who knows 'legionella' as a bacterium but does not know the specialized morphological roots would not be able to derive the species meaning or its link to Legionnaires' disease. Even though roots like 'pneumo-' and '-phila' could hint at a lung-related affinity for specialists, that knowledge is technical and inaccessible to average B1 learners, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
Legionella pneumophila was named after a 1976 event when many members of a group called the American Legion got sick and scientists found a new bacterium, so the name Legionella remembers that group. The second part, pneumophila, means 'lung-loving' because the bacterium attacks the lungs and causes 'Legionnaires' disease', so the full name points to both the event and what the germ does.