Five Complex Things about Legionella Analysis
                     Five Complex Things 
about Legionella 
Analysis
Middle East Testing Services 
L.L.C
Overview
Legionella is a kind of bacteria that causes severe breathing diseases, 
including pneumonia. One of the leading causes of a legionella outbreak 
could be contamination of conventional water pipelines. In such cases, it is 
observed that due to the lack of proper pipeline management and cleaning, 
the outbreak of such bacteria becomes evident. However, at such times, 
conducting a Legionella analysis becomes imperative.
There are different legionella analyses available out there. However, as 
effective as they are, they can also have a few difficult points about them. 
Read on to find more about it!
Culture
In this method, the legionella bacteria derived from location samples are isolated 
on a media where its growth is supported. Though it is quite an effective legionella 
analysis method, there are a few difficult factors about it.
01 It requires a particular media for the bacteria to grow, such as 
BCYE Agar. However, not all laboratories may have it readily 
available.
02 It is quite technically challenging.
03 It is quite a slower process as it requires around five days to cultivate.
04 It much depends on the personnel handling the treatment.
Urinary antigen
Primarily meant for seeking out the symptoms in 
a patient, this analysis depends on the detection 
of the bacteria within the victim’s urine. It is also 
one of the most common legionella analyses 
existing out there. However, even if it is one of 
the most common, it still has a few difficult facts 
about it:
● It can only detect a particular 
serogroup of the bacteria (L. 
pneumophila).
● When it comes to environmental 
isolates, it does not offer molecular 
comparisons.
Serology
Another methodology used for legionella analysis. The difficulties in these 
methodologies are as follows:
● For this analysis, it requires a paired serum 
which needs to be collected in between the 
acute onset and two weeks, since the 
visibility of symptoms. Another set needs to 
be received after 3-6 weeks.
● Because about 5 to 10% of the population 
has a titer of 1:≥256, it becomes hard to 
detect the bacteria. This is so because it 
becomes harder to distinguish between the 
bacteria and other pneumonia acquired 
through the community.
PCR (positive polymerase chain reaction)
Another well sought after analysis for legionella, 
this method is rapid and can be used to detect 
other serogroups of legionella other than Lp1. 
However, it does have one difficulty:
● Different laboratories have different assays 
and can have limited commercial availability.
DFA (Direct Fluorescent Antibody)
Lastly, this method has become more specific in 
recent times. The difficulties one might face 
through this method are:
● The regents needed for this analysis are a 
bit difficult to obtain.
● It is more difficult technically, as many 
labs might not have the proper equipment 
for it.
If you suspect a legionella outbreak in your area, then for the best legionella 
analysis in Dubai, get in touch with Metslab for the best services.
Source: https://metslab.wordpress.com/2020/08/04/five-difficult-things-about-legionella-analysis/
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Middle East Testing Services L.L.C
Address:
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Phone: +971 589505070 / +971 589505077
Website: https://metslab.com/