Swine influenza (H3N2) infection in a child and possible community transmission, Canada.

An influenza A virus (H3N2) of probable swine origin, designated A/Canada/1158/2006, was isolated from a 7-month-old hospitalized child who lived on a communal farm in Canada. The child recovered uneventfully. A serosurvey that used a hemagglutination-inhibition assay for A/Canada/1158/2006 was conducted on 54 of the 90 members of the farm.

Cluster of cases of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in Alberta, Canada.

In May 2005, a cluster of four hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) cases was confirmed in Alberta, Canada. The cluster is unusual given that three cases were from a single family and involved a 7-year-old child. This is the first family cluster reported in Canada and includes one of the youngest cases of HPS reported in North America.

Surveillance for influenza admissions among children hospitalized in Canadian immunization monitoring program active centers, 2003-2004.

Objectives: Influenza is a common childhood infection that may result in hospitalization. Our objectives were to (1) determine characteristics of children hospitalized for influenza and disease manifestations and (2) obtain baseline data before implementation of new recommendations for routine immunization of young children and their caretakers against influenza.

Methods: All of the children hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza at 9 Canadian tertiary care hospitals during the 2003-2004 influenza season were identified from virology laboratory reports, and their charts were reviewed.

Varicella-associated invasive group A streptococcal disease in Alberta, Canada--2000-2002.

We determined the incidence of invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) disease among children < or =14 years of age in Alberta, Canada, with a focus on infections associated with varicella. During 2000-2002, there were 71 cases of invasive GAS disease among patients in this age group. Fourteen cases occurred in children with varicella (19.

Invasive group A streptococcal disease in Alberta, Canada (2000 to 2002).

Invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) disease was placed under surveillance in Alberta in August 1999. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence rates of iGAS infections throughout Alberta over a 3-year period (2000 to 2002) and to better understand the epidemiology of iGAS in this province. There were a total of 441 cases of invasive GAS disease over the 3 years examined (average population over 3 years, 3,055,765) and 47 deaths.

Susceptibility of human isolates of Salmonella typhimurium DT 104 to antimicrobial agents used in human and veterinary medicine.

Multiple antibiotic resistance is frequently observed among strains of Salmonella typhimurium DT104. We examined the antibiotic resistance patterns of 240 human isolates submitted from central and northern Alberta to our laboratory for confirmatory testing during 1996-1999. Broth microdilution MIC panels included antibiotics proposed by the Canadian National Enteric Disease Surveillance Committee for human and animal isolates.