Request CDC Assistance

CDC can assist health departments in investigating potential clusters and outbreaks of legionellosis. Inquiries from the public about Legionnaires’ disease in general should be directed to CDC-INFO at 1-800-CDC-INFO, (800-232-4636), TTY: (888) 232-6348, or email CDC-INFO. Questions about specific outbreak investigations should be directed to the relevant state or local health department.

Epidemiologic Assistance

CDC staff are available to provide limited consultation on investigations via phone and email, including facilitating communication among state health department officials with travel-associated cases or outbreaks. Extensive field assistance is available via the Epi-Aid mechanism.

To request epidemiologist assistance, email travellegionella@cdc.gov.

Store and Ship Specimens Correctly

For details on how to store and ship specimens for Legionella testing, view the specimen shipping instructions [2 pages].

Laboratory Testing

The Legionella laboratory at CDC can provide services, including culture of clinical specimens and isolate typing, in the context of an outbreak investigation. However, all services require prior consultation with the lab by emailing legionellalab@cdc.gov. When the testing is requested as part of an outbreak investigation, epidemiologic consultation is also needed.

CDC laboratory testing of environmental samples and isolates is only done under special circumstances (e.g., an outbreak investigation involving CDC or with prior permission from CDC for submission of specimens).

Routine environmental sample submissions are not accepted by CDC's laboratory.