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Legionella Antigen, Urine
Test CodeLEGAU
Preferred Specimen
Urine in sterile container
Other Acceptable Specimens
Urine in GU container.
Transport Temperature
Refrigerated or frozen.
Specimen Stability
Room Temperature: 24 Hours
Refrigerated: 14 Days
Frozen: 14 Days
Refrigerated: 14 Days
Frozen: 14 Days
Reject Criteria (Eg, hemolysis? Lipemia? Thaw/Other?)
Specimens collected from other non-urine sources.
Clinical Significance
Legionnaires’ Disease, named after the outbreak in 1976 at the American Legion convention in Philadelphia, is caused by Legionella pneumophila and is characterized as an acute febrile respiratory illness ranging in severity from mild illness to fatal pneumonia. The disease occurs in both epidemic and endemic forms and sporadic cases are not easily differentiated from other respiratory infections by clinical symptoms. An estimated 25,000 to 100,000 cases of Legionella infection occur in the United States annually. The resulting mortality rate, ranging from 25% to 40%, can be lowered if the disease is diagnosed rapidly and appropriate antimicrobial therapy is instituted early. Known risk factors include immunosuppression, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and concomitant pulmonary disease. The young and the elderly are particularly susceptible. In Eastern U.S. Legionella pneumophila is responsible for 80-90% of reported cases of Legionella infection with serogroup 1 accounting for greater than 70% of all legionellosis. However, serogroup one accounts for fewer numbers of cases in the Southwestern U.S. with other serogroups often predominating.
