Ottawa company launches speedy test kit for legionnaires' disease

A new DNA testing device made in Ottawa can cut the time it takes to test for legionnaires’ disease from more than a week to 45 minutes.
Spartan Bioscience Inc., with headquarters on Baseline Road, said this will allow owners of office towers, apartment buildings and shopping malls to get near-instant results of the test for the fatal disease.
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by a natural bacterium called legionella, which multiplies in the warm, humid envir