Estimating the burden of illness caused by domestic waterborne Legionnaires' disease in Canada: 2015-2019.

Legionellosis is a disease caused by the bacterium that most commonly presents as Legionnaires' disease (LD), a severe form of pneumonia. From 2015 to 2019, an average of 438 LD cases per year were reported in Canada. However, it is believed that the actual number of cases is much higher, since LD may be underdiagnosed and underreported.

A national investigation of the prevalence and diversity of thermophilic Campylobacter species in agricultural watersheds in Canada.

The occurrence and diversity of thermophilic Campylobacter species (C. jejuni, coli, and lari) were studied in water samples from four river basins located across Canada. These basins located in Quebec (Bras d'Henri), Alberta (Oldman), Ontario (South Nation), and British Columbia (Sumas) represented some of the most intensive farming areas in Canada for hog, beef cattle, dairy cattle, and poultry, respectively.

Synthesis, structure, and reactivity of tris(amidate) mono(amido) and tetrakis(amidate) complexes of group 4 transition metals.

The syntheses of a series of tris(amidate) mono(amido) titanium and zirconium complexes are reported. The binding motif of the amidate ligand has been determined to depend on the size of the metal centre for these sterically demanding N,O-chelating ligands; the larger zirconium metal centre supports three κ(2)-(N,O) bound amidate ligands while the titanium analogue has one ligand bound in a κ(1)-(O) fashion to alleviate steric strain. Reactivity studies indicate that, despite high steric crowding about the tris(amidate) mono(amido) zirconium metal centre, transamination of the reactive dimethylamido ligand can be achieved using aniline.

A methods comparison for the isolation and detection of thermophilic Campylobacter in agricultural watersheds.

Campylobacter species contribute to an enormous burden of enteric illnesses around the world. This study compared two different methods for detecting Campylobacter species in surface water samples from agricultural watersheds across Canada. One method was based on membrane filtration (MF) of 500 ml water samples followed by selective microaerophilic enrichment at 42 degrees C in Bolton broth, isolation of Campylobacter on CCDA, and subsequent identification confirmation by a PCR assay.

Seasonal relationships among indicator bacteria, pathogenic bacteria, Cryptosporidium oocysts, Giardia cysts, and hydrological indices for surface waters within an agricultural landscape.

The South Nation River basin in eastern Ontario, Canada is characterized by mixed agriculture. Over 1600 water samples were collected on a bi-weekly basis from up to 24 discrete sampling sites on river tributaries of varying stream order within the river basin between 2004 and 2006. Water samples were analyzed for: densities of indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, enterococci, total and fecal coliforms), the presence of pathogenic bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, E.

Occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in raw and ready-to-eat foods and in a Canadian food service operation.

The occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in a variety of foods from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and raw milk samples from across Canada was determined over a 2-year period. The samples consisted of 55 raw foods (chicken, pork, and beef), 126 raw milk samples from raw milk cheese manufacturers, and 135 ready-to-eat foods (meat products, salads, and raw milk cheeses).

Characteristics and frequency of detection of fecal Listeria monocytogenes shed by livestock, wildlife, and humans.

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen that can be carried asymptomatically in various animals and can be shed in feces. We investigated the prevalence and characteristics of L. monocytogenes isolated from livestock, wildlife, and human potential sources of contamination in 2 areas in Ontario, Canada.

Distribution and characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from surface waters of the South Nation River watershed, Ontario, Canada.

Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen thought to be widely distributed in the environment. We investigated the prevalence and characteristics of L. monocytogenes isolates from surface waters derived from catchments within the South Nation River watershed (Ontario, Canada).

Tracking host sources of Cryptosporidium spp. in raw water for improved health risk assessment.

Recent molecular evidence suggests that different species and/or genotypes of Cryptosporidium display strong host specificity, altering our perceptions regarding the zoonotic potential of this parasite. Molecular forensic profiling of the small-subunit rRNA gene from oocysts enumerated on microscope slides by U.S.

Infectious disease outbreaks related to drinking water in Canada, 1974-2001.

Background: Recent public attention on drinking water supplies in the aftermath of waterborne infection outbreaks in Walkerton and North Battleford raises questions about safety. We analyzed information on waterborne outbreaks occurring between 1974 and 2001 in order to identify apparent trends, review the current status of monitoring and reporting, and gain a better understanding of the impact of drinking water quality on public health and disease burden.

Methods: Data from outbreak investigations, published and unpublished, were categorized by the type of drinking water provider and were assessed to be definitely, probably or possibly waterborne in nature.

Large-scale comparative genomics meta-analysis of Campylobacter jejuni isolates reveals low level of genome plasticity.

We have used comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) on a full-genome Campylobacter jejuni microarray to examine genome-wide gene conservation patterns among 51 strains isolated from food and clinical sources. These data have been integrated with data from three previous C. jejuni CGH studies to perform a meta-analysis that included 97 strains from the four separate data sets.