Christchurch Legionnaires' outbreak spatial investigation (2005)

A Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Christchurch between April and August 2005 involved 19 laboratory-confirmed cases and three deaths. The subsequent peer-reviewed study describes rapid spatial epidemiological analyses identifying seven statistically significant case clusters and a directionally elongated distribution consistent with wind-driven aerosol dispersion.

The investigation combined laboratory isolates and environmental samples with public-health interviews and spatial analysis. ESR maintained EpiSurv and conducted reference laboratory identification; Canterbury public-health and Ministry of Health teams performed complementary investigation tasks. The study identified a particular cooling tower as the probable source. Its account was published in 2013, eight years after the outbreak.