Environmental Microbiology Outbreak Response

An environmental microbiology outbreak occurs when two or more individuals become infected with the same disease after exposure to a  microbial pathogen  (i.e., bacteria, viruses,  fungi or parasite)  present in environmental matrices like water, air or soil. This type of contamination can occur intentionally (through deliberate human actions) or naturally (for example, introduction of fecal matter) in environmental matrices. If clinical and epidemiological data suggest an environmental source of the outbreak, samples from the suspected source(s) are collected and tested at a state, territorial, tribal or local laboratory. Environmental data are then interpreted and reported to the responding agencies and public and used for directing which intervention(s) should take place, which may include cleaning or removing contamination sources, educating the public and enacting policies to prevent future outbreaks.

Environmental microbiology outbreak response (EMOR) is the process of identifying, managing and mitigating microbial outbreaks that occur in environmental settings. EMOR programs provide jurisdictional infrastructure to rapidly identify and mitigate environmental exposure routes to protect public health. Ensuring effective EMOR programs in state, territorial, tribal and local jurisdictions increase regional capacity and national preparedness for environmentally mediated outbreaks and biological threats.

The EMOR community of practice provides laboratory scientists and their jurisdictional and federal partners with a forum to easily communicate, ask questions and discuss challenges and best practices. 

Community of practice participation is limited to state, local, territorial and/or tribal APHL member laboratories and their partners. If you meet these qualifications and are interested in joining, please create an APHL account and email [email protected].