DEVELOPING A METHODOLOGY FOR TESTING AND PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION OF THE PRESENCE OF LEGIONELLA SPP. AND LEGIONELLA PNEUMOPHILA IN ENVIRONMENTAL WATER SAMPLES BY IMMUNOMAGNETIC SEPARATION COMBINED WITH FLOW CYTOMETRY

In the event of an epidemic of Legionnaires' disease, prompt and unambiguous identification of the source of infection and immediate undertaking of repair actions is a necessary condition to limit and minimise the effects of the developing epidemic. In the classical method for determining the level of Legionella bacteria in water samples, the effectiveness of the reparative action (increase of the water temperature in the water supply system to 60 0 C, additional chlorination) can only be confirmed after 14 days!!! Only by using the IMMS&FCM method can Legionella's determination time be reduced to 2-4 hours, which is the most important factor in limiting the development of an epidemic.