Legionella Testing Services

St. Louis, Missouri, August 8, 2024

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) recently announced it was advising hotel guests of a potential health concern for individuals that may have been in contact with a water source within a hotel in Franklin County.

According to DHSS:

DHSS has determined that two unassociated individuals who stayed at the St. Clair hotel in April of this year were diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease within 14 days after their stay. People can get Legionnaires' disease, a serious type of pneumonia, by breathing in small water droplets containing Legionella bacteria.

Legionella can be found naturally in the environment and in some manmade environments, typically in water. These manmade sources include cooling towers, potable water systems, hot tubs, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems and decorative fountains. DHSS reports that in this case, preliminary sample results indicate the presence of Legionella bacteria in the hotel’s water system.

“Fortunately, most healthy people that are exposed to Legionella do not get sick, but there are some populations at increased risk,” said Jason Dobranic, Ph.D., Vice President of Microbiology and Life Sciences at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “Legionnaires' disease occurs more frequently in the elderly, those who smoke, and in individuals with a chronic illness, respiratory disease or compromised immune system. Since Legionnaires' disease can be fatal in up to 10% of diagnosed cases, taking proactive measures to test water systems, as part of a water management program to detect and mitigate Legionella exposure risks, is important for protecting these at-risk populations. If an outbreak has already occurred, rapid testing can be instrumental for quickly identifying the source of the bacteria.”

With a laboratory in St. Louis, and dozens more across North America, EMSL Analytical offers traditional culturing methods, and rapid PCR and Whole Genome Sequencing methods, to test for Legionella from environmental samples. A number of EMSL’s laboratories have received the CDC’s Certificate of Proficiency from its Elite Program for Legionella testing and some are also NYSDOH ELAP Legionella certified.

To learn more about Legionella or to request sampling supplies, please visit www.LegionellaTesting.com or www.EMSL.com, email info@EMSL.com or call (800) 220-3675.

About EMSL Analytical, Inc.

EMSL Analytical is one of the leading testing laboratories with locations throughout the United States and Canada. EMSL is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider specializing in fast laboratory results for mold, bacteria, Legionella, USP <797>, pathogens, asbestos, lead, soot, char & ash from fires, VOCs, odors, radon, formaldehyde, indoor air quality, microbiology, environmental, industrial hygiene, radiological, food, beverage & consumer products and material testing services for the identification of unknown substances. EMSL services both professionals and the general public. EMSL maintains an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies including, but not limited to A2LA, AIHA LAP, LLC. (AIHA EMLAP, AIHA IHLAP, AIHA ELLAP), NVLAP, CDC ELITE, CPSC, CA ELAP, NY ELAP, TX DOH, NJDEP and multiple other state accrediting agencies. Please visit our website at www.EMSL.com for a complete listing of accreditations. In addition, EMSL carries a wide range of Sampling Equipment and Investigative Products for environmental professionals.