In today’s world, you can never be careful enough about avoiding harmful diseases. Every day, new ailments are cropping up that are causing the world to panic and fear for their safety. The Legionella bacteria are responsible for causing several serious diseases such as pneumonia and flu. To ensure that you are diagnosed and treated properly, it is crucial to undertake proper Legionella Testing.
What Are Legionella Bacteria?
The Legionella bacteria or the Legionella pneumophila is usually transmitted via the water. It can be found in the water carried by plumbing lines as well as mechanical equipment. Further, the risk of infection by the Legionella bacteria is increased significantly if the plumbing lines are not tested regularly.
The Legionella bacteria are responsible for causing the Legionnaires Disease which is an extreme variant of pneumonia and the Pontiac Fever. These infections have an impact on the lower respiratory tract. Affected people often have to be hospitalized and these diseases have a considerably high mortality rate.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Legionella Infection?
Most symptoms of the related diseases are found to develop within 2-3 days of being infected by the Legionella bacteria. Common symptoms include:
- Cough (may or may not contain blood and mucus)
- Difficulty in breathing
- Pain in the chest
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
- Chills or high fever
What is Legionella Testing?
To identify infection via Legionella bacteria in contrast to other forms of pneumonia, Legionella testing is necessary. It involves testing a sample collected from the infected individual and testing the culture from any accredited microbiology lab. Further, the tests can be conducted on the water-carrying pipes and containers regularly to rule out any possibility of Legionella infestation.
How Is The Test Conducted?
Testing for Legionella bacteria may be conducted in two ways. Either it can be done via antigen testing or molecular testing. For antigen testing, the testing can be done via urine sample testing. For molecular testing, a sputum sample may be collected. The samples need to be collected in sterile containers for conducting tests. The major advantage of such tests is that no test preparation is required on the part of the patient.
The result for the Legionella Testing needs to be evaluated in correlation with the patient’s past medical history. Further, an extensive chest X-Ray needs to be performed to determine the condition of the lungs and observe the impact of pneumonia. If the result comes back as positive, the patient can seek treatment using macrolide or quinolone-based antibiotics. A balanced diet and ample rest can also help the patient recover from the Legionella disease and lead a healthy life.
