Age- and Sex-Specific Differences in Lyme Disease Health-Related Behaviors, Ontario, Canada, 2015-2022.

We investigated differences in risk factors and preventive behaviors by age and sex among persons with reported Lyme disease in Ontario, Canada, during 2015-2022. Incidence rates peaked among children 5-9 and adults 50-79 years of age. Median age was higher for female than male case-patients (54 vs.

Epidemiology of sporadic and outbreak-associated hepatitis A infections in Ontario, Canada: A descriptive summary, 2015-2022.

Background: Hepatitis A is a disease of public health significance that typically causes acute, self-limiting infection. Understanding the risk factors and demographics associated with individual infections and outbreaks can guide public health communication and interventions.

Objective: To assess the number of hepatitis A cases and outbreaks in Ontario from January 1, 2015, to November 22, 2022, and to identify common risk factors associated with sporadic and outbreak-associated infections in Ontario.

Salmonella Vitkin Outbreak Associated with Bearded Dragons, Canada and United States, 2020-2022.

We identified 2 cases of Salmonella enterica serovar Vitkin infection linked by whole-genome sequencing in infants in Ontario, Canada, during 2022. Both households of the infants reported having bearded dragons as pets. The outbreak strain was also isolated from an environmental sample collected from a patient's bearded dragon enclosure.

Investigating the association between socioeconomic and agricultural risk factors and the incidence of Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Typhimurium in Ontario in 2015: A multi-level ecological approach.

The incidence of salmonellosis, and other enteric zoonotic diseases, has been associated with various food and environmental exposures and socioeconomic factors. Increasingly, there is interest in exploring differences among serotypes of Salmonella to better inform public health prevention efforts. Consequently, we investigated whether rates of Salmonella Heidelberg and Typhimurium in Ontario communities in 2015 were influenced by household characteristics, agricultural factors, and the presence of meat plants.

Backyard chickens - A cross-sectional survey of current and prospective backyard chicken owners in Ontario (2019-2021).

Objective: Chickens are a natural reservoir for zoonotic pathogens. Humans and pets may be at increased risk of illness due to contact with poultry, their eggs, and their environment. We aimed to identify any knowledge, attitude, or practice gaps among current and prospective backyard chicken owners.

Beyond flu: Trends in respiratory infection outbreaks in Ontario healthcare settings from 2007 to 2017, and implications for non-influenza outbreak management.

Background: Outbreaks cause significant morbidity and mortality in healthcare settings. Current testing methods can identify specific viral respiratory pathogens, yet the approach to outbreak management remains general.

Objectives: Our aim was to examine pathogen-specific trends in respiratory outbreaks, including how attack rates, case fatality rates and outbreak duration differ by pathogen between hospitals and long-term care (LTC) and retirement homes (RH) in Ontario.

Detection of spatial and spatio-temporal Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Typhimurium human case clusters focused around licensed abattoirs in Ontario in 2015, and their potential relation to known outbreaks.

Salmonellosis is one of several zoonotic diseases for which individuals with occupational animal contact, including abattoir workers, are at an increased risk. If meat is contaminated during slaughter, this can increase the risk of enteric illness for consumers. In this study, we investigated whether reported cases of Salmonella Heidelberg and Typhimurium were clustered around abattoirs in Ontario in 2015 and whether there was any evidence (laboratory/exposure) to suggest an abattoir at the centre of a cluster might be the source of exposure.

Detection of spatial, temporal and space-time Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Typhimurium clusters in Ontario in 2015, and comparisons to known outbreaks.

Purpose: Salmonellosis is one of several reportable diseases in Ontario (ON). Two or more cases of the same serotype that are linked to a common exposure or related to one another in time and/or space are considered a potential outbreak. While laboratory data can help to determine the molecular relatedness of cases, results may take up to several weeks.

A case-case study comparing the individual risk factors and symptomatology of Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Typhimurium in Ontario in 2015, following implementation of the Ontario Investigation Tools.

Salmonella Heidelberg and Salmonella Typhimurium are among the most common serotypes responsible for human salmonellosis in Ontario. Introduction of the Ontario Investigation Tools (OIT) in 2014 allowed for standardized case investigation and reporting. This study compared the risk factors and symptomatology for sporadic S.