To maintain a broader approach, we decided to evaluate pathogens rather than diseases for their importance. A list of pathogens was compiled according to the following selection criteria: (a) notifiable according to the German law for the control of infectious diseases [16] , (b) reportable within the European Union [17] , (c) reportable to the WHO under the International Health Regulations [18] , (d) agents with potential for deliberate release [19] , and (e) pathogens represented in dedicated chapters in an established infectious diseases manual [20] and occurring in Germany. Some pathogens were grouped together when biologically and clinically plausible. The list of pathogens was reviewed by the RKI experts and the Delphi process participants.