Publications by authors named "Averil Griffith"

Article Synopsis
  • The study focused on invasive group A Streptococcus trends in Canada by analyzing emm1 isolates from 2018 to 2023.
  • There was a notable rise in hypervirulent M1 lineage isolates, increasing from 22.1% to 60.2% during this period.
  • Genomic analysis revealed clusters linked to specific locations and times, as well as genes tied to the acquisition of virulent bacteriophages.
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We report a group A streptococcal outbreak in a geriatric mental health inpatient unit. Communication with cognitively impaired patients, limitations in adherence to hygiene practices, and communal dining may have facilitated transmission. Settle plates aided in identifying a colonized patient.

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Article Synopsis
  • Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) has been monitored in Canada since 2000, highlighting shifts in serotype distribution due to conjugate vaccines, with a report summarizing data from 2021 and 2022 on demographics, serotypes, and antimicrobial resistance.
  • The National Microbiology Laboratory collaborated with public health labs across Canada, reporting nearly 2,000 isolates in 2021 and nearly 3,800 in 2022, using various methods for serotype determination and susceptibility testing.
  • While IPD cases decreased to 5.62 per 100,000 population in 2021, 2022 saw a rise back to pre-pandemic levels, with notable increases in certain serotypes
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Background: Invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS, ) disease has been a nationally notifiable disease in Canada since 2000. This report summarizes the demographics, types, and antimicrobial resistance of iGAS isolates collected in Canada in 2021 and 2022.

Methods: The Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory collaborates with provincial and territorial public health laboratories to conduct national surveillance of invasive .

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Unlabelled: The International Circumpolar Surveillance (ICS) program is a population-based surveillance network for invasive bacterial diseases throughout Arctic countries and territories. The ICS quality control program for serotyping and antimicrobial susceptibility testing has been ongoing since 1999. Current participating laboratories include the Provincial Laboratory for Public Health in Edmonton, Alberta; Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec; the Centers for Disease Control's Arctic Investigations Program in Anchorage, Alaska; the Neisseria and Streptococcus Reference Laboratory at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark; the Department of Clinical Microbiology, Landspitali in Reykjavik, Iceland; and Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

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Background: Invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), which is caused by , has been a nationally notifiable disease in Canada since 2000. The use of conjugate vaccines has markedly decreased the incidence of IPD in Canada; however, the distribution of serotypes has shifted in favour of non-vaccine types. This report summarizes the demographics, serotypes and antimicrobial resistance of IPD infections in Canada in 2020.

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Background: Invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) disease (caused by ) has been a nationally notifiable disease in Canada since 2000. This report summarizes the demographics, types and antimicrobial resistance of iGAS infections in Canada in 2020.

Methods: The Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory (Winnipeg, Manitoba) collaborates with provincial and territorial public health laboratories to conduct national surveillance of invasive typing was performed on all isolates using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sequencing protocol.

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Antimicrobial resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae represents a threat to public health, and monitoring the dissemination of resistant strains is essential to guiding health policy. Multiple-variable linear regression modeling was used to determine the contributions of molecular antimicrobial resistance determinants to antimicrobial MICs for penicillin, ceftriaxone, erythromycin, clarithromycin, clindamycin, levofloxacin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Training data sets consisting of Canadian S.

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The 13-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV13) was recommended for childhood immunization programs in 2010 in Canada and has decreased the incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children and changed the epidemiology of IPD in adults. This study investigated the epidemiology of IPD in adults 65 years of age and older in Canada. A total of 7282 invasive S.

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Serotyping of Streptococcus pneumoniae is important to monitor disease epidemiology and assess the impact of pneumococcal vaccines. Traditionally, the Quellung reaction used serotype-specific antibodies to classify S. pneumoniae based on differences in capsular antigens.

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The introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PCV7) in Canada was very effective in reducing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) in children; however, increases of non-PCV7 serotypes have subsequently offset some of these reductions. A 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine (PCV13) targeting additional serotypes was implemented between 2010 and 2011, and in 2012 changes in the incidence of disease and the distribution of IPD serotypes began to emerge. The incidence of IPD in children <5 years of age declined from 18.

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A baseline serotype distribution was established by age and region for 2058 invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates collected during the implementation period of the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) program in many parts of Canada in 2010. Serotypes 19A, 7F, and 3 were the most prevalent in all age groups, accounting for 57% in <2 year olds, 62% in 2-4 year olds, 45% in 5-14 year olds, 44% in 15-49 year olds, 41% in 50-64 year olds, and 36% in ≥65 year olds. Serotype 19A was most predominant in Western and Central Canada representing 15% and 22%, respectively, of the isolates from those regions, whereas 7F was most common in Eastern Canada with 20% of the isolates.

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