Proof of concept for a rapid, point of use test for Legionella pneumophila

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Legionella is a bacterial disease transmitted as a consequence of breathing in aerosols fromwater systems where the bacterium has been able to grow, including cooling towers, airconditioners, showers, sinks, toilets and birthing pools. It is a mandatory requirement forexperts to assess the risk of Legionella in all buildings to which there is employee or publicaccess, including hospitals, hotels, workplaces and rented houses & offices. The currentmethod of screening for Legionella involves collecting a water sample and sending it to alaboratory for testing, which takes 10-12 days to obtain a result. This project aims to develop arapid test for Legionella, which will allow expert contractors to collect and test water samplesat site to return a result within approximately 30 minutes. The test is based on specificdetection of Legionella bacteria and uses an innovative, patented capture and amplificationsystem to allow the test to detect low levels of bacteria in water samples. The presence ofbacteria is detected by a light-emitting reaction, which is read by a hand-held reader. Thisreader is already reliably used to read results from environmental toxicity tests. The test willneed to detect < 100 to 1000 bacteria colony forming units per litre of water (cfu/L) as theserepresent the two values after which action may either need, or must, be taken, respectively.In response to recent HSE guidelines, some laboratories are detecting down to 40 cfu/L. Inorder to achieve these levels of sensitivity, we will use a rapid, single-use device toconcentrate water samples at the site of collection to allow rapid detection and action ifrequired. The system could be incorporated into installation pipework for background checkson system water and to validate proper temperature control. This approach will offersignificant public health benefits in the protection of the health of the public and in providingbetter control in private & augmented health settings.