Detection of Pathogens: Legionella
If colonies need to be confirmed quickly and reliably, VIT® Legionella is the ideal choice. VIT® Legionella clearly detects all bacteria of the Legionella genus and Legionella pneumophila in a single analysis.
Legionella occurs naturally in water, but can multiply particularly strongly in warm, stagnant water. L. pneumophila is the most common species in technical water systems and therefore plays a central role in monitoring.
Your Advantages
VIT® technology enables the targeted detection of individual microorganisms at population, genus or species level. The use of highly specific, rRNA-based gene probes ensures clear identification of the target organism directly in the sample.
The VIT® gene probes hybridize only with intact, metabolically active cells, as only these have sufficient amounts of ribosomal RNA. This means that only living Legionella spp. and Legionella pneumophila are detected, while dead or inactive cells are excluded.
Complete detection is completed in just 3-5 hours - a decisive advantage over cultivation-based methods, which take several days due to enrichment, incubation and evaluation. The VIT® technology therefore enables significantly faster decisions in quality assurance, process control and release.
The test kits are user-friendly and can be integrated into existing laboratory procedures with minimal training. Detection is carried out using fluorescence microscopy and does not require complex equipment or special software solutions. This makes the method particularly robust and user-independent.
The VIT® technology is based on over 25 years of experience in the development of specific, fluorescence-labeled gene probes for microbiological analysis. It is characterized by high specificity, reproducibility and resistance to interfering matrices.
A particular advantage: as the method is based directly on rRNA and does not require enzymatic amplification steps, it is insensitive to inhibitors. False-positive results, which can occur with PCR-based test kits - especially in complex matrices - are therefore ruled out.
Product Specifications
| Detection of | Legionella spp. and Legionella pneumophila |
| Samples that can be examined include | Isolates (direct) |
| Technology | VIT® gene probe technology |
| Evaluation | by means of VIT® adapted Fluorescence microscope |
| Type of analysis | qualitative detection |
| Scope of delivery | Analysis reagents Product manual |
| Package size | 25 analyses |
Handling and Analysis
The sample is prepared using a VIT® adapted fluorescence miscroscope. All bacteria are visible in phase contrast. Legionella spp. glows green and Legionella pneumophila specifically red.
You can also have your sample analyzed in-house:
Legionella laboratory analysis
In all other cases, including for the quantification of detected Legionella, we recommend the use of:
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