Special Pathogens Laboratory Director Janet E. Stout, PhD, has been invited to speak at the 8th International Conference on Legionella in Melbourne, Australia.

Stout, who is also a research associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will be speaking on the theme of prevention during the Legionella Control Measures in Hospitals session.

The conference, held in October, will provide an opportunity for scientists and professionals from across the globe to share information on Legionella, the waterborne bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease. Topics to be discussed at scientific symposia include: global trends in Legionnaires’ disease, infection, microbiology, control measures in hospitals, and diagnostics and detection.

A clinical and environmental microbiologist who has been researching Legionnaires’ disease for more than 30 years, Stout is the author and co-author of numerous research articles and book chapters, including Legionella chapters in the Manual of Clinical Microbiology (American Society for Microbiology) and Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control. Her expertise includes: Legionella detection, disinfection, remediation and control strategies for the prevention of Legionnaires’ disease. 

This will be the third time Stout has been honored to speak at the International Conference on Legionella. Her previous lectures occurred in 2009 (Paris) and 2005 (Chicago).