What Is Legionella and Why Should You Perform Legionella Testing?
This video explains what Legionella pneumophila is and why it should cause concern for American businesses and citizens. Water is essential for the daily life of every civilian. Indoor spaces require pipes to carry water throughout the buildings of the community. Although this mechanism is convenient, there is an associated risk with this practice. Non-pneumophila organisms live in water, and many of these germs pose no danger to humans.
However, the bacterium Legionella pneumophila, causes almost all Legionnaires’ Disease in the United States. To prevent outbreaks of this severe lung issue, organizations, including the Veteran’s Health Administration, test the water supply specifically for this microbe. It is essential to conduct legionella testing only because there are so many non-pneumophila bacteria that do not affect humans. This abundance of non-pneumophila may skew the results. Although the best outcome is a negative test for Legionella pneumophila, there is a treatment available in the case of a positive test. Once the location is isolated and test results provide information on the number of bacteria, professionals will treat the water and destroy this dangerous organism.