<i>Legionella pneumophila</i> Urinary Antigen

Legionella pneumophila Urinary Antigen

Number
	182246
CPT
	87449
Related Information
	Legionella Culture and Legionella pneumophila, DFA Legionella pneumophila, DFA Legionella Species Culture
Synonyms
	Legionella Urinary Antigen
Specimen
	Urine
Volume
	5 mL
Container
	Sterile screw-cap container
Storage Instructions
	Refrigerate
Causes for Rejection
	Swab specimen; inappropriate specimen transport device; unlabeled specimen or name discrepancy between specimen and request label; specimen received after prolonged delay (usually more than 72 hours); nonurine specimen
Reference Interval
	No Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen detected
Use
	Confirm the diagnosis of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 infection
Limitations
	This test will not detect species or serogroups other than Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1.
Methodology
	Enzyme immunoassay (EIA)
Additional Information
	Legionella pneumophila has been estimated to cause 80% to 85% of Legionella infections, with serogroup 1 accounting for most of these. Current methods of diagnosis for Legionella infection include culture and DFA. All of these other tests require a high quality respiratory specimen to perform this test and, unfortunately, many patients with Legionella infection do not produce sputum. A number of investigators have shown that a specific soluble antigen was present in the urine of patients with Legionnaires' disease, which can be detected both early and late in the disease.
References
	Berdal PP, Farshy CE, and Feelley JC, “Detection of Legionella pneumophila Antigen in Urine by Enzyme-Linked Immunospecific Assay,” J Clin Microbiol, 1979, 9(5):575-8. Kohler RB, Zimmerman SE, Wilson E, et al, “Rapid Immunoassay Diagnosis of Legionnaires' Disease: Detection and Partial Characterization of Urinary Antigen,” Ann Intern Med, 1981, 94(5):601-5. Reingold AL, Thomason BM, Brake BJ, et al, “Legionella Pneumonia in the United States: The Distribution of Serogroups and Species Causing Human Illness,” J Infect Dis, 1984, 149(5):819.