New method to test viable Legionella Sp. in 1 hour

Water ID recently introduced a method to test viable Legionella Sp. in an hour without having to let the bacteria grow on a petri dish for up to 2 weeks, thus allowing effective action to be taken immediately. The new one hour Legionella test using the PrimeLab photometer is based on a patented, immune-magnetic method, detecting only living Legionella sp. Colourimetric analysis, via the PrimeLab 1.0 Multitest Photometer indicates presence of legionella bacteria.

As with the established method for Legionella detection, 1 litre of water has to be filtered to catch the Legionella bacteria on filter paper. Legionella present on the filter paper are released in a small vial where “L1″ is added. “L1″ is a patented solution, containing immuno-magnetic particles (antibodies), which only attach to living Legionella sp. After several wash steps, a colouring solution is added to the captured Legionella. Concentration of colour is related to concentration of Legionella in the sample, which makes it possible to test using the PrimeLab 1.0. The result is accurately displayed as cfu per litre.