Legionella Testing Services

Legionella testing is the process of obtaining a water sample and analyzing it to detect the presence of the bacteria.

Legionella testing done to confirm effectiveness is defined as validation. Testing for Legionella is done to confirm that a Water Management Program is effective at controlling Legionella, which is defined as a hazard. It is also done to discover the source of exposure after a disease case is reported.

There are two general types of Legionella tests: Microbial culture tests (spread plates and field sampler “dipslides”) and molecular tests (Polymerase Chain Reaction, PCR). For microbial culture, L. pneumophila serogroup 1, serogroups 2-14 and Legionella spp. should always be determined for every isolate.

An INDEPENDENT, third-party testing service provides improved defensibility by removing real or perceived commercial conflict of interest or bias toward proprietary water treatment solutions.

Sampling locations are decided by the Water Management Team. Locations may include incoming water, showers, misters, ice machines, faucets, cooling towers and decorative water features. Phigenics recommends collecting post-flush samples from plumbing fixtures, when Legionella testing is done as part of routine validation to confirm WMP effectiveness. Call us to learn why.

Testing should be undertaken after a Water Management Team has confirmed that a program has been implemented as designed (verification). The frequency of testing is determined by the Water Management Team and is often monthly, quarterly or semi-annually.

Any response should be predetermined and documented as a “contingency response” in the Water Management Program. Contingency responses should include a review of the verification data and may include activities such as flushing or hyperchlorinating the water system. Call us to learn more.

The CDC has five considerations for laboratory expertise: ELITE accreditation, the performance of culture method, level of identification, willingness to save samples and experience with environmental risk assessment and sampling. Click here to see how Phigenics meets the CDC’s criteria.