Consistent Recovery of Legionella pneumophila from Tap Water and Groundwater Matrices

Jun 23
2 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Publication: Acer & Morrison, Technical Note, Ceres Nanosciences (2026)

Overview

This technical note evaluates the performance of Nanotrap® Microbiome A Particles for concentrating Legionella pneumophila from tap water and groundwater. The study compares the Nanotrap workflow with three commonly used Legionella detection methods—direct culture on BCYE agar, IDEXX Legiolert®, and centrifugation followed by ddPCR—to determine whether Nanotrap technology can provide equivalent recovery while reducing workflow complexity, processing time, and equipment requirements.

Key Findings

Comparable recovery across multiple water matrices

Nanotrap Microbiome A Particles achieved Legionella pneumophila recovery comparable to traditional concentration methods in both tap water and groundwater.
Recovery remained consistent across both water types, demonstrating robust performance in diverse environmental matrices.

Significantly faster workflow

The Nanotrap workflow reduced time-to-answer by approximately 85–95%, enabling same-day results compared to conventional multi-day Legionella monitoring workflows.
This acceleration can improve response times for environmental monitoring and water safety programs.

Simplified sample processing

Unlike centrifugation-based concentration methods, the Nanotrap workflow requires minimal laboratory infrastructure while maintaining equivalent analytical performance.
The simplified concentration process reduces equipment demands and streamlines sample preparation without compromising recovery.

Compatible with molecular detection

Following concentration, Nanotrap-enriched samples were successfully processed using standard nucleic acid extraction and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) workflows for quantitative detection of L. pneumophila.
The workflow integrates readily into existing molecular microbiology laboratories.

Implications for Nanotrap Technology

This study demonstrates that Nanotrap Microbiome A Particles provide a rapid, low-infrastructure alternative to conventional Legionella concentration methods while maintaining equivalent recovery across different environmental water matrices. By simplifying sample concentration and substantially reducing turnaround time, the technology can support more efficient environmental surveillance, routine water quality monitoring, and public health response programs.

Conclusion

The authors conclude that Nanotrap Microbiome A Particles deliver recovery of Legionella pneumophila comparable to established concentration methods while dramatically simplifying the workflow. With equivalent performance in tap water and groundwater, compatibility with ddPCR analysis, and the ability to deliver same-day results, Nanotrap technology offers an efficient solution for environmental Legionella surveillance and water safety testing.