Reported cases of legionnaire’s disease have been on the increase in Europe for years. To prevent outbreaks, detection of the bacteria is key. rqmicro developed a fast, cultivation-independent method for quantitative identification of Legionella in water samples. It takes less than two hours to get results, whereas the current standard method ISO 11731 takes 10 to 14 days.

Berlin Water Company recently introduced the rapid test from rqmicro. To validate it, its laboratory ran parallel tests with both ISO 11731 and the rapid test. Comparisons revealed that rqmicro’s test is not only faster but also 10 times more sensitive than the plating process. In the future, BWB plans to use the tests regularly for drinking water systems in 200 buildings.

The following article was originally published in Aqua & Gas N° 7/8 | 2018, a journal for the water and gas industry in Switzerland. It lays out rqmicro’s method, the approach taken by Berlin Water Company to validate the test as well as the results.

Download the full article here.