Easy, fast, reliable: the Merck Legionella Package for complete detection and protection

The new Merck Legionella Package leverages the dual synergies of Merck’s Dehydrated Culture Media and Duopath® Legionella.

Legionella are a very common type of bacteria, which live in freshwater in almost every kind of aquatic biotope. Although Legionella bacteria exist in many different species, all are potentially harmful to humans – in fact, over 1000 people die every year as a result of Legionella infections. One species in particular, Legionella pneumophila, causes legionellosis in humans – more commonly known as Legionnaires’ disease or Pontiac fever.

Legionella thrive in temperatures between 30°C and 45°C – especially in water stored for long periods. So to safeguard water kept at warm temperatures – common in technical systems – lab professionals need a simple and effective solution to test for Legionella. This is where Merck comes in. The Merck Legionella Package combines two existing products: Dehydrated Culture Media and Duopath® Legionella. Easy to use, the test kit delivers rapid and reliable results, ensuring the utmost protection against Legionella. What’s more, the kit is specifically tailored to detect Legionella spp and Legionella pneumophila – the most harmful species of Legionella.

Legionella Duopath®

Benefits of the Merck Legionella Package

The Merck Legionella Package ensures reliable detection and protection in all kinds of water systems. Dehydrated Culture Media allow lab professionals to detect and enumerate Legionella bacteria safely and reliably, while the Duopath® Legionella immunoassay helps confirm the presence of suspected Legionella colonies, identifying both Legionella species and Legionella pneumophila separately in a single device. The Merck Legionella Package is ideal for use in industrial facilities, such as systems for aerosol production or cooling towers in power plants. It is also ideally suited to warm water supply systems in public facilities, such as hospitals and hotels, as well as public showers – for instance, on campsites and military bases.

For more information on the Merck Legionella Package, please contact us.