Presentation by Michèle Prévost PhD of Polytechnique Montréal
The ability to detect _Legionella pneumophila_ in both potable and non-potable water is critical to mitigating Legionella health risks. Test results are used to validate water management programs, to aid outbreak investigations, to evaluate treatment efficacy and to better understand the ecology of the bacteria. Because culturable Legionella is still considered the gold standard to assess the risk of infection, traditional solid culture methods are still widely prescribed, while qPCR is not considered an indicator of risk. A faster and easier to implement culture-based method such as Legiolert provides a very valuable tool to improve our ability to timely detect to detect Legionella in engineered water systems. Comparing these methods used to monitor different types of water systems provides insight into their benefits and limitations.
