Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27630979›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in public health2016

Evaluation and Comparison of Multiple Test Methods, Including Real-time PCR, for Legionella Detection in Clinical Specimens.

Adriana Peci, Anne-Luise Winter, Jonathan B Gubbay

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in public health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
33citing papers in PubMed
4.1field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

33 citing papers in PubMed, 63 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Doxycycline forThe Journal of pharmacy technology : jPT : official publication of the Association of Pharmacy Technicians · 2026
    Review
  2. Infection and drug resistance · 2026
    Review
  3. ASM case reports · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. The Contribution ofInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2024
    Article
  8. Article
  9. Severe Legionnaires' disease.Annals of intensive care · 2024
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Clinical and Laboratory Diagnosis of Legionella Pneumonia.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
    Review
  14. Diagnostic Study to Assess the Performance of a New UrinaryInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. ARDS Clinical Practice Guideline 2021.Journal of intensive care · 2022
    Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Adriana PeciPublic Health Ontario , Toronto, ON , Canada.
Anne-Luise WinterPublic Health Ontario , Toronto, ON , Canada.
Jonathan B GubbayPublic Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada; University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Public Health Ontario · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Legionella is a Gram-negative bacterium that can cause Pontiac fever, a mild upper respiratory infection and Legionnaire's disease, a more severe illness. We aimed to compare the performance of urine antigen, culture, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test methods and to determine if sputum is an acceptable alternative to the use of more invasive bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Data for this study included specimens tested for Legionella at Public Health Ontario Laboratories from 1st January, 2010 to 30th April, 2014, as part of routine clinical testing. We found sensitivity of urinary antigen test (UAT) compared to culture to be 87%, specificity 94.7%, positive predictive value (PPV) 63.8%, and negative predictive value (NPV) 98.5%. Sensitivity of UAT compared to PCR was 74.7%, specificity 98.3%, PPV 77.7%, and NPV 98.1%. Out of 146 patients who had a Legionella-positive result by PCR, only 66 (45.2%) also had a positive result by culture. Sensitivity for culture was the same using either sputum or BAL (13.6%); sensitivity for PCR was 10.3% for sputum and 12.8% for BAL. Both sputum and BAL yield similar results regardless testing methods (Fisher Exact p-values = 1.0, for each test). In summary, all test methods have inherent weaknesses in identifying Legionella; therefore, more than one testing method should be used. Obtaining a single specimen type from patients with pneumonia limits the ability to diagnose Legionella, particularly when urine is the specimen type submitted. Given ease of collection and similar sensitivity to BAL, clinicians are encouraged to submit sputum in addition to urine when BAL submission is not practical from patients being tested for Legionella.

Indexed as

BALcultureLegionellaPCRsputumurine antigen

Identifiers

PMID27630979
PMCPMC5005417
OpenAlexW2518578923

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.