How is Legionnaires disease diagnosed?
Specialised laboratory tests are necessary and, unfortunately, may not be available in many hospitals. These include culture on specialized Legionella media. Culture media furnish nutrients for the bacterium. When sputum from the patients are placed onto the culture media, the bacterium grows on the medium and can be identified. Other tests include direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) in which the bacterium can be stained and becomes visible under a fluorescent microscope.
