Facilities such as cooling towers are frequently associated with epidemic outbreaks of legionellosis, a type of pneumonia with a mortality rate of 12-15%. The bacteria is contracted by inhalation of aerosols generated in the facilities, and the infectious load of these microdroplets disseminated through the air will depend on the level of Legionella present in the water. Your quick determination is therefore very critical.

The rapid quantification of Legionella bacteria in water using an automated procedure independent of plate culture represents a great scientific-technological leap. This work describes an automated biosensor equipment for the in situ and reliable quantification of the level of Legionella spp in waters. It combines immunocapture of the intact Legionella cell with colorimetry techniques.

It is based on a method validated and certified by AOAC-RI, for the quantitative determination of Legionella spp in water, considering the cell the minimum unit of infection. This system, like the Early Warning System, integrates the automatic processing of preconcentration, analysis and reporting of the results in the sampling environment, at the facility, in an “all-in-one” format of just one hour. duration compared to the 7-14 days required by the conventional cultivation method. As a novelty, it is the first time that a rapid test, validated by an international certification body for the quantification of Legionella, is automated.