Verification and Use of the US-FDA BAM 19b Method for Detection of in a Survey of Fresh Produce by CFIA Laboratory.

To facilitate the harmonized surveillance and investigation of cyclosporiasis outbreaks in the US and Canada, we adapted and verified the US-FDA's BAM 19b method and employed it in a national produce survey. Performance was verified by spiking 200, 10, 5 or 0 oocysts onto berries (50 ± 5 g, = 85) and 200, 10 or 0 oocysts onto green onions (25 ± 3 g, = 24) and leafy greens (25 ± 1 g, = 120) and testing these samples by the BAM method on Bio-Rad CFX96. Method robustness was assessed by aging (0 or 7 days) and freezing the produce and washes prior to testing, then implementing the method for the surveillance testing of 1759 imported leafy green, herb and berry samples.

Optimization and validation of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for detection of in leafy greens.

is one of the most common food and water-borne intestinal parasites of humans and animals worldwide. Fresh, ready-to-eat produce such as leafy greens and salad mixes are considered potential transmission vehicles for infection in humans. Therefore, a specific, sensitive, and reliable method for detection in leafy greens is needed.

A novel protocol to isolate, detect and differentiate taeniid eggs in leafy greens and berries using real-time PCR with melting curve analysis.

Background: Zoonotic taeniid cestodes are amongst the most important food-borne parasites affecting human health worldwide. Contamination of fresh produce with the eggs of Echinococcus granulosus (s.l.

Detection of natural and infections in horses by routine post-slaughter food safety testing.

typically infects domestic swine, wild boar and occasionally horses, has a cosmopolitan distribution, and consequently is most frequently associated with food-borne outbreaks of trichinellosis in humans. is typically found in wild carnivores in temperate areas of North America, where it has been responsible for outbreaks of human trichinellosis due to consumption of infected wild game. There has previously been only indirect evidence of natural infection with in a horse originating from Connecticut and implicated in an outbreak of trichinellosis in France in 1985.

Endoparasites in the feces of arctic foxes in a terrestrial ecosystem in Canada.

The parasites of arctic foxes in the central Canadian Arctic have not been well described. Canada's central Arctic is undergoing dramatic environmental change, which is predicted to cause shifts in parasite and wildlife species distributions, and trophic interactions, requiring that baselines be established to monitor future alterations. This study used conventional, immunological, and molecular fecal analysis techniques to survey the current gastrointestinal endoparasite fauna currently present in arctic foxes in central Nunavut, Canada.

Application of a qPCR assay with melting curve analysis for detection and differentiation of protozoan oocysts in human fecal samples from Dominican Republic.

A quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay with melt curve analysis (qPCR-MCA) was applied for the detection of protozoan oocysts in 501 human fecal samples collected in Dominican Republic. Samples were subjected to qPCR using universal coccidia primers targeting 18S rDNA to detect oocysts followed by MCA to identify oocyst species based on amplicon melting temperature. Putative positive samples were also tested by conventional PCR and microscopy.

Detection and differentiation of coccidian oocysts by real-time PCR and melting curve analysis.

Rapid and reliable detection and identification of coccidian oocysts are essential for animal health and foodborne disease outbreak investigations. Traditional microscopy and morphological techniques can identify large and unique oocysts, but they are often subjective and require parasitological expertise. The objective of this study was to develop a real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay using melting curve analysis (MCA) to detect, differentiate, and identify DNA from coccidian species of animal health, zoonotic, and food safety concern.

Highly sensitive and specific PCR assay for reliable detection of Cyclospora cayetanensis oocysts.

Multiple outbreaks of food-borne gastroenteritis caused by the coccidian parasite Cyclospora cayetanensis have been reported annually in North America since 1995. Detection of C. cayetanensis contamination typically relies on laborious and subjective microscopic examination of produce washes.