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Waterborne infectious diseases substantially affect public health in the United States, despite widespread treatment and disinfection of drinking water systems and recreational water venues such as swimming pools and hot [...]

Verona-integron-encoded metallo-[beta]-lactamase-producing carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (VIM-CRPA) and other carbapenemaseproducing organisms (CPOs) are emerging public health threats. CPOs cause infections that are often extensively drug-resistant and associated with substantial rates of [...]

Legionnaires' disease is caused by inhalation of water containing Legionella bacteria and can lead to life-threatening pneumonia. Legionella pneumophila bacteria thrive in water temperatures of 77[degrees]F-113[degrees]F, and exposure commonly occurs [...]

Editor's Note: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, [...]

Editor's Note: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, [...]

Editor's Note: The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, [...]

During a Legionnaires' disease outbreak at a Missouri hotel in 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention assisted state and local health departments to identify possible sources and transmission factors and to recommend improvements to water management. We performed an environmental assessment to understand the hotel's water systems and identify areas of risk for Legionella amplification and transmission. We obtained samples from the pool, spa, and potable water systems for Legionella culture. In the potable water system, we noted temperatures ideal for Legionella amplification and areas of water stagnation. Additionally, we found inadequate documentation of pool and spa disinfection and maintenance. Of 40 water samples, Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 that matched the sequence type of one available clinical isolate was recovered from five sink and shower fixtures. A comprehensive environmental assessment proved crucial to identifying maintenance issues in the hotel's water systems and underscored the need for a water management program to reduce Legionnaires' disease risk., Introduction Legionnaires' disease (LD) is a severe pneumonia caused by the bacterium Legionella. Approximately 9% of cases are fatal (Dooling et al., 2015). The rate of reported LD cases in [...]

Editor' S Note: NERA strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, we feature this column [...]

On July 9, 2013, an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease (LD) was identified at Long-Term Care Facility A in central Ohio. This article describes the investigation of the outbreak and identification of the outbreak source, a cooling tower using an automated biocide delivery system. In total, 39 outbreak LD cases were identified; among these, six patients died. Water samples from a cooling tower were positive for Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, reactive to monoclonal antibody 2, with matching sequence type to a patient isolate. An electronic control system turned off cooling tower pumps during low-demand periods, preventing delivery of disinfectant by a timed-release system, and leading to amplification of Legionella in the cooling tower. Guidelines for tower maintenance should address optimal disinfection when using automated systems., Introduction Legionnaires' disease (LD) is a severe and potentially fatal pneumonia caused by colonization of human-made water systems and subsequent aerosolization and inhalation of Legionella bacteria (Fraser et al., 1977; [...]

About 5,000 cases of Legionnaires' disease and at least 20 outbreaks are now reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) each year (Adams et al., 2015). People [...]

The first edition of the Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) was released on August 29, 2014, and is now available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Web [...]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) environmental health internship is an educational experience exposing students to a field that requires diverse competencies in areas that range from sampling [...]