Test for Environmental Legionella Takes Only 45 Minutes.Binax, Inc., has developed a test kit for on-site detection of Legionella Legionella /Le·gion·el·la/ (le?jah-nel´ah) a genus of gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacteria (family Legionellaceae), normal inhabitants of lakes, streams, and moist soil; they have often been isolated from cooling-tower water, bacteria in water supplies, one of the major causes of legionnaires' disease Legionnaires' disease A type of pneumonia usually caused by infection with the bacterium Legionella pneumophila, but occasionally with a related species (such as L. micdadei or L. dumoffii). outbreaks. Producing informative results within 45 minutes, the Binax [Equate.sup.TM] Legionella Water Test can alert responsible parties to the need for action well in advance of critical conditions. Hospitals, nursing homes, hotels--virtually any establishment with a large water supply and cooling towers--can use the Equate Legionella Water Test to leverage liability and diminish the risk of an outbreak. Water treaters who monitor and treat water systems are particularly likely to benefit, because instead of waiting two weeks for a culture to grow in a lab, they can get results on site in less than an hour. They can even conduct the test while performing regular maintenance on a cooling tower. Legionella is ubiquitous in the environment. It occurs naturally in rivers and streams throughout the globe. The organism has been found in homes, swimming pools, cooling towers, spas and whirlpools, humidifiers, decorative fountains, vegetable misters in supermarkets, portable cooling units, faucets and showerheads, ice-making machines, sinks, dental-unit systems, boilers, and numerous other nonsuspicious locations such as garden soils. When water contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. with the bacteria is aerosolized Adj. 1. aerosolized - in the form of ultramicroscopic solid or liquid particles dispersed or suspended in air or gas aerosolised gaseous - existing as or having characteristics of a gas; "steam is water is the gaseous state" and people inhale the droplets, the risk that they will contract the disease increases exponentially, especially among members of high-risk groups such as smokers, diabetics, immunocompromised immunocompromised /im·mu·no·com·pro·mised/ (-kom´pro-mizd) having the immune response attenuated by administration of immunosuppressive drugs, by irradiation, by malnutrition, or by certain disease processes (e.g., cancer). individuals, individuals with other pulmonary ailments, alcoholics, and those with end-stage renal disease End-stage renal disease (ESRD) Total kidney failure; chronic kidney failure is diagnosed as ESRD when kidney function falls to 5-10% of capacity. Mentioned in: Chronic Kidney Failure end-stage renal disease . The Equate test is quick and simple. A sample of the water to be tested is filtered, then the swabbed filter residue is combined with reagents in a tube. After half an hour, a color developer is added to indicate any antibody-antigen reactions, and five minutes later a stop solution is added to arrest further coloration. The results in the tube are then read with a handheld photometer Photometer An instrument used for making measurements of light, or electromagnetic radiation, in the visible range. In general, photometers may be divided into two classifications: laboratory photometers, which are usually fixed in position and yield results . Smaller than a [Palm.sup.TM] organizer, the photometer is a one-time purchase that can be used in almost any environment. Test kits, minus the photometer, can be ordered in quantity for added cost-effectiveness. |
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