DiaSorin has announced the launch of the new LIAISON® Legionella Urinary Antigen Immunodiagnostic Assay in all countries accepting the CE Mark as an aid to the diagnosis of Legionnaires’ Disease (LD), a life-threatening atypical Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP).

Legionella species are a common cause of CAP in those individuals requiring  hospitalization. Misdiagnosed and untreated LD usually worsens rapidly resulting in increased mortality rates. LD death rate may be as high as 40-80% in untreated immuno-suppressed patients and can be reduced to 5-30% through appropriate identification and case management.

The new LIAISON® Legionella Urinary Ag assay improves diagnosis of atypical pneumonia providing a precise identification of the Legionnaires’ disease. The test is performed on the LIAISON® CLIA analyzers and offers a highly automated solution for the microbiology laboratory. With a simple test method, Legionnaires’ disease can be identified in only 35 minutes, allowing timely and targeted antimicrobial treatment.

L. pneumophila sg 1 causes from 50 to 80% of Legionnaires’ disease cases worldwide. Sg 4 and 6, and the species L. longbeachae, L. micdadei and L. bozemanii are also important in disease, accounting for most of the remaining non-L.pneumophila sg 1 cases of LD.

The LIAISON® Legionella Urinary Ag assay with its innovative “dual-antigen” design is able to detect two Legionella's antigens (LPS and PAL) improving sensitivity and specificity. It empowers healthcare professionals to accurately identify Legionella pneumophila and Legionella longbeachae antigens.

“The launch of this new assay confirms our ability to position DiaSorin as a specialty player, able to provide innovative solutions with a high medical value” commented Chen Even, Chief Commercial Officer of DiaSorin. “We are confident that our new assay will strongly contribute in discriminating etiological factors in severe atypical pneumonia”.