A SINGLE positive result for Legionella has been recorded at Roma Hospital while widespread testing at Westhaven Aged Care Facility has returned no positive results

South West Hospital and Health Service chief of operations officer Meryl Brumpton said the detection of Legionella bacteria in hospitals had been expected ever since the statewide testing program had been launched.

She said the discovery did not give cause for concern.

"It certainly does not mean that any patient who has stayed at a facility recording a positive result, or staff working there, are at any increased risk of contracting Legionnaire's disease," Ms Brumpton said.

She said of 45 samples taken at Roma Hospital, only one of them had returned a positive Legionella result.

"The one positive result, which was for Legionella pneumophila, was in a rarely-used shower located in the Emergency Department," she said.

Ms Brumpton said retesting was undertaken at Roma and St George hospitals on July 11 where two affected sites had been flushed.

Both hospitals had recorded a single low-level positive result each.

The Roma Hospital positive result was recorded in a rarely used shower in the emergency Department, while the St George Hospital positive result was in a single female shower in the main ward.

Ms Brumpton said the testing and retesting process generally took between seven and 10 days from the receipt of the test samples by the testing laboratory in Brisbane.

"We also intend to test our health facilities at Surat, Injune, Thargomindah and Wallumbilla, but we have not yet finalised a timetable for doing this,'' she said.

Ms Brumpton said affected sites at Charleville Hospital and Waroona Nursing Home which had recorded a number of high-level positive results for Legionella last week all now had been flushed and cleaned and had been retested on 8 July to ensure they were clear of the bacteria.

Results of the retesting at Charleville and Waroona are expected in the next week or so.

Ms Brumpton said the Operating Theatre at Charleville Hospital would remain closed until retesting results indicated it was fully clear of Legionella.

Ms Brumpton said final water testing results for Legionella bacteria at Augathella Hospital and Morven Outpatients Clinic had both come back negative.

"We are still awaiting final results for Mitchell, which was tested on 2 July; for Mungindi, which was tested on 3 July and Dirranbandi which was tested on 4 July,'' Ms Brumpton said.

Queensland Health are also awaiting results for Cunnamulla and Quilpie which were tested on July 10.

Ms Brumpton said the results were not a cause for concern.

"It certainly does not mean that any patient who has stayed at a facility recording a positive result, or staff working there, are at any increased risk of contracting Legionnaires disease,'' she said.

 "It is important to remember that Legionella bacteria, of whatever species, always are present in the environment and are often found in very low concentrations in water supplies.

"The organisms may exist in the plumbing of your home where they do no harm because you're not vulnerable in the same way as a sick patient in hospital.

 "The disease is spread by breathing in tiny droplets of airborne moisture that contain the Legionella bacteria, which is why the risk may be higher if it is present in showering facilities, where there may be a lot of airborne moisture, than in other areas.''

Legionella bacteria of any type are detectable, and therefore become reportable as positive, when they occur at the rate of 10 colony forming units (cfu) per millilitre or above.

Ms Brumpton said if no positive sample results were returned, a clinical response was not required.