What is Legionella pneumophila?
Legionella pneumophila is a gram-negative, aerobic bacterium that was isolated and named after the first recognized outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 1976. It is one of more than 61 strains of Legionella bacteria, which are widely found in natural and artificial aquatic environments, soils, and composts.6 Legionellae can grow intracellularly in protozoa, and some strains have infected humans. L. pneumophila causes 97% of Legionnaires’ disease cases and 100% of deaths from outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease. https://www.idexx.com/en/water/water-products-services/legiolert/find-legionella-pneumophila/
For more information about Legionella, click here.
Blue Ridge Analytical offers Legionella Testing using the Legiolert method offered from IDEXX, Laboratories. Legiolert allows confirmed results in 7 days vs 10-14 days with other Traditional culture methods.
Samples are collected in 100mL sample bottles preserved with Sodium Thiosulfate provided by our laboratory and must be started within 48 hours of time of collection.
If your facility is interested in testing for Legionella, contact us today for a quote.
VELAP does not currently offer accreditation for Legionella testing. However, our Laboratory performs quality control procedures and follows recommendations offered by IDEXX, Laboratories to ensure the accuracy of this analysis.