NexBiolinea participated in the 11th International Conference on Legionella, one of the leading international scientific forums dedicated to this bacterium, presenting research based on more than 43,000 water samples, 404 buildings and six years of monitoring.
NexBiolinea participated in the 11th International Conference on Legionella, held at the University of Zurich from 7 to 11 September 2026, which this year marked the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the bacterium.
The company presented research with an innovative approach to understanding why some buildings repeatedly harbour Legionella while others remain almost entirely free of it, further strengthening NexBiolinea’s presence in major international forums for knowledge and research on Legionella prevention and control.
More than 43,000 water samples and 404 buildings analysed
The team analysed more than 43,000 water samples collected between 2020 and 2025 across 404 buildings, mainly hotels and healthcare facilities, as part of routine Legionella monitoring in water.
The novelty of the study lies not in a single result, but in its long-term perspective. Instead of interpreting each Legionella sampling event in isolation — or analysing the results of a single year — the researchers studied how each building behaved year after year over a six-year period.
The “personality” of buildings in relation to Legionella
The results reveal a particularly interesting phenomenon: many buildings tend to behave in a stable and repeatable way in relation to Legionella.
Some remain almost consistently negative or show a very low proportion of positive samples. Others, by contrast, repeatedly show Legionella in a high proportion of samples.
In other words, each building appears to have its own persistent profile in relation to Legionella — a kind of “personality” that remains consistent over time.
The research also explores the water microbiome, the community of microorganisms living within water systems. The team observed that buildings at opposite ends of these profiles harbour clearly different microbial communities.
This finding suggests that the microbial ecosystem of the water itself may influence whether Legionella encounters conditions that are more or less favourable for its growth.
Towards more personalised Legionella prevention
These findings open the door to Legionella monitoring and prevention strategies that are better adapted to the specific risk profile of each building, allowing resources and preventive measures to be focused on facilities that show a greater tendency to produce recurrent positive results.
As Sebastián Crespí, President and Scientific Director of NexBiolinea and leader of the study, explains:
“Until now, each sampling was interpreted on its own. Looking at six years of data, we found that buildings have a distinct, recognisable behaviour towards Legionella, and that their microbiome tracks that behaviour. This can help us monitor and prevent more intelligently.”
Research developed by the NexBiolinea team
The research was led by Sebastián Crespí, President and Scientific Director of NexBiolinea, with the participation of Magdalena Bennasar, Saomé Sancho, Jhon Molina, Javier Sánchez, Jorge del Barrio, Andrés Bedoya, Mónica Terrasa and Beatriz Santandreu.
The study is the result of combining technical expertise, laboratory activity and six years of accumulated data analysis, transforming information generated through routine Legionella monitoring into scientific knowledge that can contribute to a better understanding of the bacterium’s behaviour within water systems.
This ability to connect laboratory science, data and real-world field experience with applied scientific research is one of the pillars of NexBiolinea’s approach: not only detecting and controlling risks, but also studying and understanding them in order to move towards increasingly effective, evidence-based prevention strategies.
NexBiolinea at the forefront of international scientific discussion on Legionella
Presenting this research at the 11th International Conference on Legionella provided an opportunity to share NexBiolinea’s findings with international researchers and specialists and to contribute to advancing knowledge on Legionella prevention and control.
Participation in this international forum reinforces NexBiolinea’s commitment to research, innovation and scientific knowledge applied to water safety, particularly in sectors such as hospitality and healthcare, where effective Legionella risk management is essential.
The study is observational and exploratory. The full research is available on ResearchGate under DOI 10.13140/RG.2.2.25014.66886.