Evaluation of Rapid U Legionella Plus Test, a new immunochromatographic assay for detection of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen in urine

Excerpt

Since antigen detection in urine has proved to be a sensitive and rapid method for detecting L. pneumophila serogroup 1, this technique has become one of the most frequently used tools for diagnosing Legionnaires’ disease (LD) [1]. Currently, there are several commercially available tests for detecting L. pneumophila antigen in urine [2, 3]. Commercial kits that use enzyme immunoassay (EIA) methodologies have been available for several years and perform similarly. One immunochromatographic (ICT) assay (Binax NOW Legionella Urinary Antigen Test; Binax, Portland, Maine, USA) has similar sensitivity and specificity to EIA [2]. ICT assays have important advantages over conventional EIAs: the tests are simple to perform, they do not require special laboratory equipment, and results can be obtained within 15 min. The aim of the study presented here was to evaluate a newly developed ICT urine antigen test (the Rapid U Legionella Plus Test; Diamondial, Sees, France), for its ability to detect L. pneumophila serogroup 1 in urine. …