Blood, Sweat, and Sometimes Tissue Samples: Tracking a Killer Germ
Back to its Watery Birthplace

  • Legionella is often found in freshwater environment, but not in numbers high enough to cause Legionnaire’s disease.
  • It is important to link clinical isolates to environmental samples in cases of Legionnaire’s disease in order to determine the potential source of the disease.
  • Any lab can establish testing for Legionella either as preparedness for outbreaks or for routine surveillance and prevention.
Quote from the Disease Detective

“Working at a local health department provides an amazing opportunity for a CDC LLS Fellow. This experience gives the complete public health picture, from a clinical perspective to population health and big picture investigations.”

-Cécilia Batmalle Kretz PhD (Microbial Ecology), LLS Class of 2017

Contact Information

CDC Media Relations
(404) 639-3286
media@cdc.gov

Conference Information
Spokesperson
Cecilia Kretz, PhD, LLS Fellow

 

Cécilia Batmalle Kretz PhD (Microbial Ecology), LLS Class of 2017
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Field Assignee at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Education: PhD (Microbial Ecology): University of California Irvine., 2014; BS Hons. Australian National University, 2006

Work Experience: Molecular microbiologist and Bioinformatician, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015-2017; Post Doctoral Fellow, Georgia Tech, 2014-2015