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What’s The Chance Of Getting A Positive Result For Legionella Tests?

Legionella Tests Question: Hi, I am a student working on an environmental research project on Legionella tests. I’m considering to have some water sample tested for Legionella species especially Legionella pneumophila. From your experience, what is the chance of getting a positive result for the Legionella tests? How much does the tests cost, for both PCR and culturable methods?

Thank you for your attention.

Answer: Legionella species are ubiquitous in natural and artificial water environments worldwide. They survive in a wide range of environmental conditions. Chances of getting positive results for Legionella tests from water depends on the following:

  • The Source of water. Legionella species thrive at temperatures between 20 °C and 50 °C. Therefore, the bacteria are rarely found in municipal water supplies. They tend to colonize warm water systems and point-of-use devices, particularly hot-water systems.
  • Isolation method. Legionella species are usually a very minor component of the total bacterial population in environmental samples and are rarely present in high numbers. Thus, it’s possible to get negative Legionella tests results if the bacteria in the sample were not concentrated prior to analysis.
  • Concentration: Legionella may be present in concentrations too low to be detected using culture methods.
Legionella tests
Legionella test

The cost of Legionella tests depends on the level of identification required. There are many labs that carry out Legionella tests but some if not most are not accredited.  To minimize false-positive results for Legionella tests, it’s important to use a qualified accredited laboratory.

Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories (MBL) performs several Legionella tests every year. Currently we use cultural methods for Legionella identification. We’re accredited by the Canadian Association for Laboratory Accreditation (CALA) to ISO/IEC 17025:2005. MBL is also certified in the analysis of Legionella bacteria by the prestigious Environmental Legionella Isolation Techniques Evaluation (ELITE) program of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For pricing please call 905-290-9101 in Ontario.

Salmonella food poisoning and symptoms

Salmonella food poisoning has been a growing concern in recent news. It has frequently lead to recalls of beef, salads and organic products and, even peanut butter products. Salmonella food poisoning occurs when one eats raw or undercooked foods such meat, poultry, eggs or egg products. Properly cooked food can get contaminated with Salmonella if […]

Legionella pneumophila – Guidelines for Laboratory Interpretation

Legionella pneumophila is a Gram negative, aerobic bacteria that is characterized as an opportunistic pathogen. It is the cause of Legionnaires’ Disease, a severe form of pneumonia and, it is the cause of Pontiac fever, a non-pneumonic form of L. pneumophila infection. Legionella spp.’s mode of transmission is through aerosols or aspiration of contaminated water. The Public Health […]

The Indoor Mold Is An Early Warning Device

The mold (or mould, in the Queen’s English) has been the victim of a bad press. Mention the word and it conjures up an image of something rotting or in the process of decomposition. And yet, were it not for the mold that inspired the discovery of penicillin millions of lives would have been lost. […]