Team

The consortium consists of 4 National Reference Laboratories for Legionella (NRL-L) in the EU/EEA, each covering tasks based on their complementary expertise in the field of Legionella developed over several years: 

• Hospices Civils de Lyon (HCL, France)
• Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS, Italy)
• Instituto Nacional de Saúde Dr. Ricardo Jorge (INSA, Portugal)
• Universitätsklinikum Carl Custav Carus Dresden/TU Dresden (UKD, Germany)

All principal investigators within the consortium already hold European-level responsibilities related to Legionella, such as serving as members of the ELDSNet Coordination Committee or as members of the Executive Committee ESCMID Study Group for Legionella Infection (ESGLI). The NRL-Ls are widely recognized in Europe for their extensive expertise in the diagnosis and surveillance of legionellosis including its environmental aspects, the development of whole genome sequencing methods in this field, and in managing outbreak events. They also bring substantial experience in training activities, including contributions to the EUPHEM training program, case study facilitation, and the organization of the ESGLI European Congress as well as scientific webinars. Collectively, the consortium members have already collaborated on several Legionella related topics.

Taken together, the consortium stands out for its coherence and complementarity among its members, enabling effective sharing of responsibilities and knowledge.

Coordination

The Centre National de Référence des Legionella, Hospices Civils de Lyon (National Reference Laboratory for Legionella) – (HCL) France is the coordinator of the consortium.