Division of Bacterial Diseases (DBD)

Our Mission

The mission of the Division of Bacterial Diseases (DBD) is to prevent and control illness and death from vaccine-preventable and other respiratory bacterial diseases, in the U.S. and worldwide, through excellence in epidemiologic and laboratory science. This newly developed office within the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases plays a critical role in outbreak response, diagnostic epidemiology, vaccine development, and control of respiratory and vaccine-preventable disease nationally and globally.

Our Priorities

• Improve detection, prevention, and control of respiratory and related invasive bacterial pathogens
• Accelerate development, introduction, and monitoring of bacterial vaccines domestically
• Accelerate development, introduction, and monitoring of bacterial vaccines globally

What We Do

The Division of Bacterial Diseases serves as the primary contact regarding bacterial respiratory and vaccine-preventable diseases.  In addition to serving as experts in the area of bacterial respiratory and vaccine-preventable disease issues, we also:

• Assure the overall quality of the science relating to bacterial respiratory and vaccine-preventable disease
• Review, prepare, and coordinate congressional testimony and briefing documents related to these diseases, and analyze programmatic and policy implications of legislative proposals
• Advise CDC, CCID, and NCIRD on policy matters concerning DBD programs and activities
• Provide statistical methodology and participate in outbreak investigations and disease reporting systems for ongoing surveillance
• Develop new methods or adapt existing methods for statistical applications in epidemiologic or laboratory research studies
• Provide statistical consultation for epidemiologic and laboratory research studies

DBD Organization Chart

• Organization Chart  [PDF - 75 KB]; (text-only) updated OCT 2009

DBD Newsletter

About the Bulletin

DBD publishes a quarterly newsletter to update staff and interested stakeholders about ongoing Division activities.
The first issue was released in December 2008.

Download the Newsletter

• Summer 2009 [PDF - 240.95KB]
• Spring 2009 [PDF - 9.62 MB]

WARNING: file size is large and will take a while to download.
• Winter 2008 [PDF - 1.29 MB]

Division Contact Information

• Bacterial diseases contacts

Programs

• Pneumococcal Vaccine
• Adolescent Vaccines
• Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work
• Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs)
• Vaccine Safety Analytic Unit (VAU)
• Vaccine Development (Anthrax & Immunology)
• PneumoADIP
• The Hib Initiative

Recent Outbreak Response

• Steptococcus pneumoniae meningitis in MO
• School-based cluster of suspected pertussis cases in GA
• Increased incidence of Haemophilus influenzae type b in MN
• Outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in NV
• Pertussis Outbreak Response in NE
• Outbreak of invasive group A streptococcal infections among residents of a rehabilitation facility in NM
• Pertussis in St. Croix
• Cipro-resistant meningococcus in MN & SD
• Pertussis Outbreak Guidelines
• Respiratory outbreak working group

Respiratory Diseases

• Chlamydia pneumoniae
• Group A streptococcal disease (necrotizing fasciitis, impetigo, scarlet fever, strep throat, strep toxic shock)
• Group B streptococcal disease
• Haemophilus influenzae
• Legionellosis (Legionnaires' Disease and Pontiac Fever)
• Mycoplasma pneumoniae
• Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
• Pneumococcal disease 
• Pneumococcal meningitis
• Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine
• Pneumonia
• Psittacosis
• Streptococcus pneumoniae
• Trachoma
  
  

Feature Story on Children's Respiratory Hospitalizations (April 2007)

Meningitis and Vaccine Preventable Diseases

• Anthrax vaccine & safety
• Bacterial meningitis
• Diphtheria (Corynebacterium diphtheriae Infection)
• DTaP, DT, TD vaccines
• Haemophilus influenzae serotype b
• Meningococcal meningitis
• Meningococcal conjugate vaccine
• Meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine
• Neisseria meningitidis
• Pertussis (whooping cough)

e-Tools

Web Features

• Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work (English, Spanish)
• Have You Heard About How To Prevent Meningococcal Disease? (English)
• Is Your Child Protected Against Hib Disease? (English, Spanish)
• Pertussis (Whooping Cough) - What You Need To Know (English, Spanish)
• Protect Your Baby from Group B Strep (English)
• Protect Your Unborn Baby or Newborn from Infections (English, Spanish)

Podcasts

• Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work podcasts
• Meningitis Immunization for Adolescents
• Pertussis, or Whooping Cough, Vaccine Recommendation for Adolescents

Videos

• Meningococcal Disease: Have You Heard?
• Sniffle. Snort. Sneeze. No Antibiotics Please!

Health-e-Cards

Adolescent Immunization, It's Their Turn! Initiative

• It's our turn! (animated)
• It's our turn!
• It's their turn!

Appropriate Antibiotic Use and Antibiotic Resistance

• Antibiotics Use (older child)
• No Antibiotics Please (younger child)
• Prevent Resistance

Group B Strep

• Strep B Test
• Strep B Prevention
• Prevent Strep B

Pneumonia

• Prevent Flu & Pneumonia
• World Pneumonia Day