IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. announced the availability of Legiolert, the easiest culture method for the confirmed detection of Legionella pneumophila in drinking water. Legionella pneumophila is the most common Legionella species in water and the primary cause of Legionnaires’ disease.^[1] This month marks the 40th anniversary of the first outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Philadelphia,^[2] which prompted one of the largest respiratory disease investigations in U.S. history. Legionnaires’ disease is deadly for about 1 in 10 people who contract it and often causes long-lasting symptoms for survivors.^[3]

Legiolert improves public health response times by accurately detecting the presence of Legionella pneumophila in potable water systems in seven days, versus up to 14 days with traditional culture methods. The new test also saves valuable laboratory time. 

“Legiolert simplifies traditional water testing by requiring fewer steps,” said Dan Broder, PhD, lead scientist on the Legiolert project at IDEXX Laboratories. “Legiolert does not require laborious colony counting or confirmation steps, which reduces the need for training and the risk of interpretation errors, and frees up laboratory staff time.”

Though the disease is largely preventable, diagnosed cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the United States quadrupled between 2000 and 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recently reported that almost all of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks over the past 15 years could have been avoided, and lives saved, with better water system management. For hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, and other high-risk buildings, testing drinking water and other building water systems is the only way to ensure an effective risk management plan against Legionella pneumophila.

“IDEXX Water is the global leader in water microbiology. With Legiolert, we continue our commitment to innovation in diagnostics technologies to improve the safety of water worldwide,” said Jonathan W. Ayers, president and chief executive officer of IDEXX Laboratories. “Legiolert is so much simpler than current culture methods, we expect to see an increase in the number of laboratories testing forLegionella pneumophila from the very few that do so today.”

For more information on IDEXX Water’s Legiolert test and water safety testing, please visit idexx.com/water/products/legiolert.html.