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 United States and worldwide, through leadership in epidemiologic and laboratory science and policy. DBD plays a critical role in outbreak response, surveillance and epidemiologic research, laboratory diagnosis and pathogen characterization, and vaccine development, and provides scientific support for development of vaccine policy and public health guidance to control vaccine-preventable and other respiratory bacterial diseases nationally and globally.

Our Priorities

DBD is CDC’s primary unit responsible for bacterial respiratory and vaccine-preventable diseases. In addition to serving as experts in the area of bacterial respiratory and vaccine-preventable disease issues, we:

• Accelerate the development, introduction, and evaluation of vaccines against bacterial respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, neonatal sepsis, and related syndromes in the United States and globally​
• Identify, assess, and implement advanced and innovative approaches to improve and expand laboratory, statistical, and epidemiological science to support the DBD vision and advance DBD programs​
• Maintain and strengthen surveillance, early detection, investigation, response, and policy development to ensure effective prevention and control of bacterial respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, neonatal sepsis, and related syndromes in the United States and globally​
• Efficiently and effectively support public health programs and research through excellence in management and operations functions ​
• Inform the public and scientific community about bacterial respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, neonatal sepsis, and related syndromes in the United States and globally through effective communications and policy approaches​

Our Organization

DBD is organized into an Office of the Director and two Branches (intranet only link), as follows:

• Meningitis and Vaccine Preventable Diseases
• Respiratory Diseases

DBD Organization Chart and Leadership Bios

• Leadership Bios
  • Kimberley Fox, MD, MPH – Director
  • Dale Rose, PhD, MSc – Deputy Director
  • Mark Biagioni, MPA – Associate Director for Program Management
  • Adam L. Cohen, MD, MPH – Chief, Respiratory Diseases Branch
  • LeAnne Fox, MD – Chief, Meningitis and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Branch

Division Contact Information

• Bacterial diseases contacts

Division Topics

• Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs)
  • Bact Facts Interactive Data Dashboard
• Chlamydia pneumoniae
• Diphtheria / Corynebacterium diphtheriae
  • Diphtheria vaccination
• Group A Streptococcal (GAS) Disease / group A Streptococcus
  • Cellulitis
  • Impetigo
  • Necrotizing fasciitis
  • Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis
  • Strep throat
  • Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS)
  • Scarlet fever
  • Rheumatic fever
• Group B Streptococcal (GBS) Disease / group B Streptococcus
• Haemophilus influenzae disease (including Hib)
  • Hib vaccination
• Legionellosis / Legionella
  • Legionnaires’ disease
  • Pontiac fever
• Meningococcal disease /Neisseria meningitidis
  • Meningococcal vaccination
• Meningitis
• Mycoplasma pneumoniae
• Pertussis / Bordetella pertussis
  • Pertussis vaccination
• Pneumococcal disease / Streptococcus pneumoniae
  • Pneumococcal vaccination
• Pneumonia
• Psittacosis / Chlamydia psittaci
• Tetanus / Clostridium tetani
• • Tetanus vaccination
• Unexplained Respiratory Disease Outbreaks (URDO)

Outbreak Resources

• Meningococcal Disease Outbreaks
• Pertussis Outbreaks
• Unexplained Respiratory Disease Outbreaks