Feedwater has developed a real time rapid Legionella test that uses the latest DNA technology to copy and count the number of Legionella gene copies in a sample

1. Related Services
Legionella risk assessment
Legionella training
Disinfection services
Water hygiene
Activ-Ox® chlorine dioxide
Descaling services Chemical
cleaning
Water softeners
Water treatment services
Who uses our services?
Hospitals
Hotels
Facilities Managers
Building services
Dental practices
Manufacturing (all types)
Food Processing
Results in as little as 6 hours!
Feedwater has developed a real time rapid legionella test
that uses the latest DNA technology to copy and count the
number of legionella gene copies in a sample. The new test
gives:
• Ultra Rapid Results, in as little as 6 hours
• Backed up by traditional culture techniques
• Count all Legionella DNA from whatever species.
• Reduces the interference of other bacterial species
that causes problems with culture.
The new test is a real –time quantitative polymerase chain
reaction technique. Legionella DNA in the original sample is
copied repeatedly and the numbers copies are automatically counted. Each original copy can yield
up to one thousand billion copies after having been processed 240
.These massive numbers of
copies can be back calculated to tell us the numbers in the original sample, guidance can be given
as to the significance of the results.
Especially useful for:
• Cooling towers
• Other high risk structures
• Samples with high bacterial load
• Healthcare premises
• Outbreak investigations
Feedwater has been helping prevent
Legionnaires’ Disease for over 30 years
and we are the only UK water treatment
company to have its own in-house UKAS* accredited Legionella testing facility. The reason we took
this decision is because although a Legionella risk assessmentmay identify the potential for
growth the only way to know whether a system is contaminated is to actually test the water!
Legionella analysis is highly specialised and has to be carried out by skilled technicians in a suitably
equipped laboratory. We are now a centre for excellence in Legionella detection and analyse
thousands of samples every year using internationallyapproved methods. Our laboratory is always
one of the top performers in the HPA EQA quality assurance scheme*. This means that you can
not only be confident of the accuracy of the test results, but also be assured that they will be
available in the shortest possible time, with the appropriate interpretation provided by our highly-
qualified laboratory personnel and technical service team.
qPCR Rapid Legionella Test

2. If you operate a cooling tower or evaporative condenser then ACoP L8 says you should test it at least every 3 months for
Legionella bacteria and similarly if you struggle to adequately control your domestic hot and cold water temperatures
then regular Legionella testing is recommended. You can either mail your water samples to us in special bottles and
mailing bags that we supply or we can the sampling for you. The results are typically available 7 to 10 days later.
If we detect a problem we will contact you immediately by phone or confidential email, and will not only provide you with
the result but guidance on the necessary corrective action.
We are uniquely placed to help you to protect your staff and the general public because we are not only experts in the
detection of Legionella but also in eradicating it, offering a full range of Legionella control services.
*The HSE publication "Legionnaires' Disease: Technical Guidance (HSG274)”, states that Legionella testing should only be
undertaken by laboratories which are accredited to do so by UKAS to EN ISO 17025.
Other Water Analysis Services
In addition to Legionella analysis our laboratories specialise in a range of other microbiological and chemical tests for
water samples and water derived deposits.
This unique facility provides a quick and accurate analysis service for water and deposit samples giving our Consultants
the necessary information to help solve your problems.
If you’re concerned about water hygiene we can detect the problem and provide the solution.
If things have gone wrong and your water system has become choked with scale, corrosion products or microbial fouling
we can analyse the deposit, identify the cause and devise a chemical cleaning solution to restore the system efficiency.
We have vast experience in descaling and chemical cleaning techniques for industrial and commercial heating and cooling
equipment – and just as importantly, we can work with you to devise a treatment solution to prevent a recurrence.
If you want to know whether your system is adequately protected against scale or corrosion we can analyse and advise.
Typical Analysis Available
Legionella*
Aerobic Colony Count*
Coliforms and E. coli* Pseudomonas
aeruginosa*
Other Pseudomonas species
Staphylococcus aureus
Fungi, yeast and moulds
Full range of water chemistry tests
Corrosion and scale deposit analysis
COD, suspended solids & effluent analysis
Corrosion measurement and assessment
*These tests are covered in our UKAS accreditation Schedule
How can you arrange sampling?
We can either provide a service where we take samples from
your systems, (identifying sampling points if required) or we can provide sample bottles and mailing packs so that you can
collect the samples yourself and courier them to us for rapid analysis. This service is available to both our UK and
overseas customers.
Once received we will process the sample and report the results to you by pdf email as soon as analysis is complete.
Analysis can be carried out on a one-off or contract basis so please contact us to discuss your water analysis
requirements.