Legionella – Urine antigen
Specimen Requirements
| Test Requested | Required Requisition(s) | Specimen Type | Minimum Volume | Collection Kit |
Legionella antigen |
Urine specimens (>2.0 ml) collected during acute phase of illness |
Sterile container |
Submission and Collection Notes
Indicate symptoms and date of onset on the General Test Requisition Form.
Timing of Specimen Collection
Specimens collected during acute phase of illness are preferred. Antigen excretion may begin as early as 3 days after onset of symptoms and persist for up to 1 year afterwards.
Limitations
This test will not detect infections caused by other Legionella pneumophila serogroups and by other Legionella species.
Storage and Transport
Label the specimen container with the patient’s full name, date of collection and one other unique identifier such as the patient’s date of birth or Health Card Number. Failure to provide this information may result in rejection or testing delay.
Special Instructions
Specimens should be stored at 2-8°C or at -10°C to -20°C following collection and shipped to PHO laboratory on ice packs.
Test Frequency and Turnaround Time (TAT)
The Legionella Binax urine antigen test is set up daily, Monday to Friday.
Turnaround time is up to 2 days from receipt by PHO laboratory.
Legionella specimens are tested by a commercial Binax ICT ( Abbott test kit).
The Binax test is >70% sensitivity and >99% specific. It tests for Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 only (Abbott package insert).
Interpretation
Results are reported as presumptive positive or negative for Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, by Binax ICT Abbott Urine Antigen test.
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