Legionella pneumophila Urinary Antigen

Test ID: 

705794

CPT code:

87449

Clinical Use:

Confirm the diagnosis of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 infection

Test 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.

Specimen Type:

Urine

Requested Volume: 

5 mL

Container Type: 

Sterile screw-cap container

Storage Instructions:

Refrigerate.

Expected Turnaround Time:

1 to 2 Days

Rejection Criteria

Swab specimen; inappropriate specimen transport device; unlabeled specimen or name discrepancy between specimen and request label; nonurine specimen