How Often Is a Diagnosis of Legionellosis Missed by Urinary Antigen Testing?

In more than a third of patients with a positive Legionella PCR from respiratory specimens, the urinary antigen test was negative.

Among the genus Legionella, there are more than 50 species and 70 serogroups, including the most virulent serogroup, Legionella pneumophila (Lp1), which causes about 80% of cases of Legionnaires' disease (LD; an atypical pneumonia) or Pontiac fever (PF). Diagnosis of legionellosis relies mainly on urinary antigen testing (UAT) because culturing the organism, the gold standard technique, is cumbersome. However, because UAT predominantly detects Lp1, it might miss the approximately 20% of legionellosis cases not caused by Lp1.

Now, investigators in Belgium have conducted a multicenter, retrospective, cohort study to determine how accurately UAT was able to diagnose legionellosis in 71 patients with the disease (58 with LD and 13 with PF). Legi…

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

How Often Is a Diagnosis of Legionellosis Missed by Urinary Antigen Testing?

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Reviewing Author