iDx LegioTest 9600

A fast track testing to detect Legionella pneumophila SG 1

The iDx LegioTest 9600 is a fast track testing to detect Legionella pneumophila SG 1 in cooling and processing water samples.

The detection is based on an ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) on a filter fibre using enzyme-tagged antibodies, which bind to Legionella bacteria found in the water sample.

The enzyme catalyzes a color signal, which is optically read out and analyzed by the iDx BenchTop Reader.

Product Highlights

Legionella detection in cooling and process water samples

15 min operating time

Limit of detection 9,600 CFU/100 ml Legionella

28 min measurement time

No additional lab equipment

iDx Cloud: digital device management, software maintenance, data protection/data backup

No laboratory skills necessary

Results available as PDF report

See the result in less than one hour

Testing parameters

Measurement time

28 minutes

Detection method

ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay)

Preparation time

15 minutes

Bacteria detected

Legionella pneumophila (Serogroup 1 WDCM 00107; ATCC™ 33152)

Limit of detection

9,600 CFU/100ml

Specificity

No cross-reaction with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia marcescens, Acinetobacter haemolyticus, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Sphingomonas paucimobilis

Glossary

Where does Legionella come from?

Legionella are rod-shaped bacteria living in water, which in 90% of cases are the cause of legionellosis or Legionnaires’ disease. Currently, many species of Legionella have been described, all of which have pathogenic effects on humans. The best known and most widespread is Legionella pneumophila.

Source: Doccheck. Flexikon. (2021, June 3). Legionellen. https://bit.ly/3g3S6Tf

What causes Legionella in water?

Rust, lime deposits or other sediments serve as a source of nutrients and as protection, thus providing optimal conditions for rapid multiplication. Legionella find ideal growth conditions at temperatures between 25 and 50°C; at water temperatures above 55°C, Legionella growth is effectively inhibited until, above 60°C, the germs finally die off.

Under certain conditions, industrial plants such as evaporative cooling systems, cooling towers and wet separators can emit aerosols containing Legionella into the outside air, which can lead to severe pneumonia and even death if inhaled.

Source: Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (2021, June 3). LEGIONELLEN. Informationen über Krankheitserreger beim Menschen. https://bit.ly/3wTX0sR

How was the Legionella in Philadelphia in 1976 first detected?

In 1976, after a congress in a large hotel in Philadelphia, 220 out of 4000 participants fell ill, 34 of them died of a previously unknown pneumonia caused by a bacterium. Since those who fell ill were members of the American Legion, the bacterium was christened Legionella pneumophila and the disease was called Legionnaires’ disease.

Source: Doccheck. Flexikon. (2021, June 3). Legionellen. https://bit.ly/3c9GdKv

What is the Robert Koch Institute in Germany?

The Robert Koch Institute is the German government’s central institution for the identification, surveillance and prevention of infectious diseases in the Portfolio of the German Ministry of Health.

Within the framework of the Infection Protection Act, the Robert Koch Institute has the responsibility to collect the data of notifiable diseases sent to it and to evaluate them from an infection epidemiological point of view.