iQ-Check™ Legionella : Real-time PCR for Water Samples

To provide industrial and hospital hygiene laboratories with a fast and reliable method for the quantification of Legionella, Bio-Rad has developed four kits based on real-time PCR for the detection and quantification of Legionella spp. and L. pneumophila bacteria in water samples.

Specificity of the assays is obtained by a careful choice of DNA amplification targets. The genus Legionella is identified by amplifying a conserved DNA sequence in the 5S ribosomal RNA gene. For Legionella pneumophila detection, the mip (macrophage infectivity potentiator) gene is used as a target.

iQ-Check™ kits contain all reagents required for a complete real-time PCR assay. Highly specific Molecular Beacon probes are used for the detection and quantification of the amplicons in each PCR well. An internal inhibition control is included in the amplification mix, allowing monitoring of PCR inhibition for all samples.

Quantitative iQ-Check Legionella spp. or L. pneumophila kits each contain 4 calibrated DNA standards obtained from the reference L. pneumophila ATCC 33152 strain. The quantification result is delivered as the number of Genomic Units/L (GU/L).

Using iQ-Check Legionella kits, Legionella analysis is performed within 3 hours of DNA extraction, allowing fast assessment of Legionella proliferation in water systems.

With iQ-Check Legionella, laboratories can offer a new service to their clients: results delivered within 24 hours for faster risk management.

iQ-Check Legionella kits are part of Bio-Rad's active involvement in Legionella risk analysis. Bio-Rad provides a complete product line for Legionella detection, composed of ready-to-use or dehydrated culture media for Legionella enumeration, confirmation reagents and real-time PCR kits.