[Microbiological diagnosis of respiratory infections caused by Legionella pneumophila]

Abstract

Legionella pneumophila is an important causative agent of pneumonia in humans which is difficult to diagnose because the signs and symptoms are nonspecific and do not distinguish Legionella infection from other common causes of pneumonia. Currently, the diagnosis of Legionnaires' disease is based on phenotyping (culture, antibody detection in human sera, antigen detection in urine) and genotyping methods such as PCR (polymerase chain reaction). This review focuses on current diagnostic tests for surveillance of Legionella pneumophila infections in Poland.