15分钟尿检可以让可以检测军团杆菌病

A RAPID new test could help diagnose potentially life-threatening Legionella in as little as 15 minutes.

The BinaxNOW assay from Inverness Medical provides results in a matter of minutes using urine samples, offering significant time-saving advantages over traditional tests, which involve the collection of sputum culture.

A spokesman at Bedford-based Inverness Medical said: “The bacteria Legionella pneumophila is the leading cause of Legionnaires’ disease in humans - a severe form of pneumonia – and it can affect anyone, with the elderly and immuno-compromised most at risk.

“Diagnosis to date has relied on culturing sputum samples, which can be difficult to obtain as patients often present with a non-productive cough. Often invasive procedures are required to obtain a specimen, causing discomfort to the patient.”

Between 1995 and 2005 more than 32,000 Legionnaires’ cases were reported to the European Working Group for Legionella Infections and there were more than 100 outbreaks on the continent every year between 2003 and 2006.

The spokesman said: “With improved testing and surveillance, we hope to improve knowledge and information on the epidemiological and microbiological aspects of Legionnaires’ disease.

“BinaxNOW allows for early diagnosis by detecting the presence of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 antigen rather than the live bacteria itself from a simple urine sample.

“Legionella antigens can appear at detectable levels one to three days from the onset of symptoms and are an ideal marker for early identification of the disease.”