Survival of O157 and non-O157 shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in Korean style kimchi.

Korean style kimchi contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 was the cause of an outbreak in Canada from December 2021 to January 2022. To determine if this STEC O157:H7 has greater potential for survival in kimchi than other STEC, the outbreak strain and six other STEC strains (O26:H11, O91:H21, O103:H2, O121:H19, and two O157:H7) were inoculated individually at 6 to 6.5 log CFU/g into commercially sourced kimchi and incubation at 4 °C.

Use of genome sequencing to resolve differences in gradient diffusion and agar dilution antimicrobial susceptibility testing performance of isolates in Alberta, Canada.

Agar dilution is the gold standard method for phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) for . However, this method is laborious and requires expertise, so laboratories that perform AST may choose alternative methods such as disk diffusion and gradient diffusion. In this study, we retrospectively compare the performance of gradient diffusion to agar dilution for 2,394 unique isolates identified in Alberta from 2017 to 2020 against azithromycin, cefixime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, penicillin, and tetracycline.

Epidemiology of Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing in the Province of Alberta, Canada, from 2018 to 2021.

Non-O157 serogroups contribute significantly to the burden of disease caused by Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) and have been underrecognized by traditional detection algorithms. We described the epidemiology of non-O157 STEC in Alberta, Canada for the period of 2018 to 2021. All non-O157 STEC isolated from clinical samples were submitted for serotyping and qPCR targeting the and genes.

Identification of Shiga-Toxin-Producing Shigella Infections in Travel and Non-Travel Related Cases in Alberta, Canada.

It has long been accepted that Shiga toxin (Stx) only exists in serotype 1. However, in recent decades, the presence of Shiga toxin genes () in other spp. have been reported.

Performance of four commercial real-time PCR assays for the detection of bacterial enteric pathogens in clinical samples.

Objectives: Many laboratories use culture-independent diagnostic tests for bacterial gastroenteritis (i.e. real-time polymerase chain reaction, RT-PCR) instead of culture because of better sensitivity, automation, and faster turnaround times.

Comparison of Molecular and In Silico Serotyping for Surveillance.

surveillance and outbreak management is a key function of public health. Laboratories are shifting from antigenic serotype determination to molecular methods including microarray or whole genome sequencing technologies. The objective of this study was to compare the Check&Trace Salmonella™ DNA microarray (CTS), a commercially available assay with the in silico typing resource (SISTR), which uses whole genome sequencing technology for serotyping clinical strains in Alberta, Canada, collected over an 18-month period.

Viability of bacterial enteropathogens in fecal samples in the presence or absence of different types of transport media.

Transport media are recommended to improve the sensitivity of fecal culture, but there are limited published data comparing bacterial viability in feces stored with or without transport media. In this study, recovery of bacteria from culture-positive feces after 7 days of storage was assessed under the following conditions: without transport media (w/oTM); with FecalSwab™ Transport and Preservation Medium (FSTM); and with modified Cary-Blair (mCB). All Shiga toxin-producing E.

Utilization of a molecular serotyping method for Salmonella enterica in a routine laboratory in Alberta Canada.

Salmonella is one of the most common enteric pathogens related to foodborne illness. Alberta's Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (ProvLab) provides Outbreak and Surveillance support by performing serotyping. The Check&Trace Salmonella™ (CTS) assay (Check-Points, Netherlands), a commercial DNA microarray system, can determine the serotype designation of a Salmonella isolate with automated interpretation.

Emergence of new CMRSA7/USA400 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus spa types in Alberta, Canada, from 2005 to 2012.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has become one of the most significant pathogens affecting global public health and health care systems. In Canada and the United States, the spread of MRSA is primarily attributed to a single dominant epidemic clone: CMRSA10/USA300. Despite this, the CMRSA7/USA400 epidemic clone has been reported to be the predominate epidemic clone in several Canadian provinces and some parts of the United States.

Bordetella pertussis in sporadic and outbreak settings in Alberta, Canada, July 2004-December 2012.

Background: ProvLab Alberta provides all laboratory testing for Bordetella pertussis including sporadic cases and outbreak investigations through collaborations with provincial public health partners. We describe B. pertussis activity in Alberta from July 2004 to December 2012.

Laboratory based surveillance of travel-related Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri in Alberta from 2002 to 2007.

Between 2002 and 2007, travel related cases of Shigella sonnei and S. flexneri in Alberta, Canada were acquired from Central America, the Indian subcontinent and North America. Of this group, resistance to ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid was identified in isolates from patients who had travelled to the Indian subcontinent.