Janet E. Stout, Ph.D. 

Position: Director
Contact: jstout@specialpathogenslab.com

Dr. Janet E. Stout discovered the link between the presence of Legionella bacteria in hospital water systems and the occurrence of hospital-acquired Legionnaires' disease. She is instrumental in the development of detection and prevention strategies for this disease. Dr. Stout worked as a microbiologist at the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System for 23 years before becoming the Director of Special Pathogens Laboratory. Her expertise in the area of Legionella and infectious disease microbiology has become internationally recognized. She was an invited speaker at the European Working Group on Legionella Infections (EWGLI) and the International Legionella Symposium. 

Concurrently, Dr. Stout is an Research Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.  Recent projects include: Eradication of Legionella from hospital water systems by copper-silver ionization and chlorine dioxide, and the molecular epidemiology of Legionnaires' disease.

Dr. Stout has authored approximately 80 peer review papers in the area of Legionnaires' disease, which include papers in The New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, the Journal of Infectious Diseases, and the Journal of the American Water Works Association.  Dr. Stout has also authored book chapters on Legionnaires' disease, including the Legionella chapter in the Manual of Clinical Microbiology.  Dr. Stout is a member of the American Society for Microbiology.  Dr. Stout is also a member of the committee for the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) developing new Legionella prevention standards (ASHRAE 188) for building engineers.

Dr. Stout is a member of the American Society for Microbiology, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Association of Water Technologies (AWT), and the Cooling Technology Institute (CTI).

Dr. Stout received her BS in biology from Clarion State College, Clarion, Pennsylvania; and her master's degree and PhD in microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Select Publications

1. Lin YE, Stout JE and Yu VL. Controlling Legionella in Hospital Drinking Water: An Evidence-Based Review of Disinfection Methods Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
   2011 32(2):166-173.
2. Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories  (BMBL) 5th Edition
   U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health Fifth Edition, Feb 2007.
   
   Janet E. Stout, Ph.D. is the author of the newly revised Legionella “Agent Summary” in the 5th Edition of the CDC “Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL)”. 
3. Drenning SD, Joly JR, JE Stout, Yu, VL. Unexpected similarity of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns of unrelated clinical isolates of Legionella pneumophila, serogroup 1.  J Infect. Dis 183:628-632, 2001.
4. Stout JE, Yu VL.  Legionella in the hospital water supply: a plea for decision-making based on evidence-based medicine.  Infection Control and Hosp. Epid. 22 (11): 670-672, 2001.     
5. Singh N, Stout JE, Yu VL.  Legionnaires’ disease in a renal transplant recipient: nosocomial or home-grown?  Transplantation 2002; 76(6): 755-756. 
6. Lin YE, Vidic RD, Stout JE, Yu VL.  Negative effect of high pH on biocidal efficacy of copper and silver ions in controlling Legionella pneumophila.  J. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; 68(6); 2711-2715, 2002.
7. Pedro-Botet ML, Stout JE, Yu VL.  Legionnaires’ disease contracted from patient homes: the coming of the third plague?  Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis 2002; 21:699 705
8. Squier C, Rihs JD, Risa KJ, Sagnimeni A, Wagener MM, Stout J, Muder, RR, Singh N. Staphylococcus aureus rectal carriage and its association with infections in patients in a surgical intensive care unit and a liver transplant unit.  Infect Cont Hosp Epidemiol 2002; 23: 495-501.
9.  Lin YE, Vidic RD, Stout JE, Yu VL.  Negative effect of high pH on biocidal efficacy of copper and silver ions in controlling Legionella pneumophila.  J. Appl. Environ. Microbiol.; 68(6); 2711-2715, 2002.
10. Stout JE, Yu, VL.  Experience of the first 16 hospitals using copper-silver ionizaton for Legionella control: implications for the evaluation of other disinfection modalities.  Infection Control Hosp. Epid. 2003; 24(8): 563-568.  
11. Stout JE, Yu, VL.  Hospital-acquired Legionnaires’ disease: new developments.  Curr Opin Infect Dis 2003; 16(4):337-341.
12. Kwak EJ, Husain S, Obman A, Meinke L, Stout JE, Kusne S, Wagener MM, Singh N. Efficacy of galactomannan antigen in the platelia Aspergillus enzyme immunoassay for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis in liver transplant recipients. J. Clin. Microbiol. 2004;42(1): 435-438.
13. Sidari FP, Stout JE, VanBriesen JM, Bowman AM, Grubb D, Neuner A, Wagener MM,  Yu VL.  Chlorine dioxide as a disinfection method for Legionella control.  J Amer Water Works Assoc. 2004; 96: 111-119.
14. J.E. Stout and R.R. Muder.  Legionella in Residential Water Systems.  ASHRAE Journal. 2004 ; 46 :52-54.
15. Yu VL,  Greenberg, RN, Zadeikis, N, Stout, JE, Kashab MM, Olson WH, Tennenberg AM,.  Levofloxacin efficacy in the treatment of community-acquired Legionellosis.  Chest 2004; 125:2135-2139.
16. Stout, JE and Muder, RR.  Legionella in Residential Water Systems.  ASHRAE Journal. 2004 ; 46 : 52-54.
17. Stout, JE, Sens K, Mietzner S, Obman A, Yu, VL.  Comparative activity of quinolones, macrolides, and ketolides against Legionella species using in vitro broth dilution and intracellular susceptibility testing. Int J Antimicrob Agents 2005; 25:302-307.
18. Squier CL, Stout JE, Krystofiak S, McMahon J, Wagener MM, Dixon B. Yu VL.  A proactive approach to prevention of healthcare-acquired Legionnaires’ disease:  the Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) experience.  Am. J. Infect. Control 2005; 33(6): 360-367.
19. Sheffer PJ, Stout JE, Wagener MM, Muder RR.  Efficacy of new point-of-use filter for preventing exposure to Legionella and waterborne bacteria.  Am. J. Infect. Control. 2005; 33(5) Suppl. 1: S20-S25.
20. Muder RR, Brennen C, Rihs JD, Wagener MM, Obman A, Stout JE, Yu VL.  Isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from urinary tract: association of isolation with subsequent staphylococcal bacteremia.  Clin Infect Dis 2006; 142(1): 46-50.
21. Stout JE, Muder RR, Mietzner S, Wagener MM, et al.  Role of environmental surveillance in determining risk for hospital-acquired Legionnaires’ disease: a national survey with clinical correlations.  Infect Control Hosp Epidiol. 2007 (In Press).