Detection of Legionella spp. using a commercially available polymerase chain reaction test

• Published in: WATER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Vol. 31; no. 5-6; pp. 407 - 408
• Main Authors: Fricker, E.J., Fricker, C.R.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier Ltd 01-01-1995; IWA Publishing
• Subjects: Detection; gene probe; Legionella; Nucleotide sequence; PCR; Polymerase chain reaction; polymerase chain reaction (PCR); Sampling methods; Water analysis; Water sampling; gene probe; detection; Legionella; polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
• ISBN: 9780080426556; 0080426557
• ISSN: 0273-1223; 1996-9732
• DOI: 10.1016/0273-1223(95)00301-3

A commercial test kit (the EnviroAmp Legionella Kit) for the detection of legionellas using the polymerase chain reaction is compared with the standard culture methods for water samples. The EnviroAmp kit proved to be rapid and did not require great experience of molecular biological techniques. However as number of samples which tested negative with the standard culture, were positive with the kit; further research is needed to establish whether this due to the detection of dead or viable but non-culturable legionellas.