Epidemiology, clinical features and outcomes of incident tuberculosis in children in Canada in 2013-2016: results of a national surveillance study.

Purpose: Childhood tuberculosis disease is difficult to diagnose and manage and is an under-recognised cause of morbidity and mortality. Reported data from Canada do not focus on childhood tuberculosis or capture key epidemiologic, clinical and microbiologic details. The purpose of this study was to assess demographics, presentation and clinical features of childhood tuberculosis in Canada.

Application of whole genome sequence analysis to the study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Nunavut, Canada.

Canada has one of the lowest rates of tuberculosis (TB) in the world, however, among certain sub-populations, disease incidence rates approach those observed in sub-Saharan Africa, and other high incidence regions. In this study, we applied mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit (MIRU) variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) and whole genome sequencing (WGS) to the analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates obtained from Northern communities in the territory of Nunavut. WGS was carried out using the Illumina MiSeq, with identified variants used to infer phylogenetic relationships and annotated to infer functional implications.

Serological and molecular epidemiological outcomes after two decades of universal infant hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination in Nunavut, Canada.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection within the Canadian Arctic is considered endemic (>2% prevalence). Within the Arctic region of Nunavut, a vaccination program targeted at newborn infants was initiated approximately 20years ago, along with interim grade school catch-up programs, with the result that individuals born after 1980 are presumed vaccinated. This study investigates the effectiveness of these programs and is the first seroepidemiological survey to determine HBV prevalence in Nunavut in the post-vaccination era.

Translocated dogs from Nunavut and the spread of rabies.

Background: Investigations of rabid animals that cross provincial/territorial boundaries are resource intensive and complex because of their multi-jurisdictional and multi-sectoral nature.

Objective: To describe the multi-jurisdictional responses to two unrelated rabid puppies originating from Nunavut.

Methods: A descriptive summary of the investigations following the identification of a rabid puppy in Alberta (August 2013) and another in Saskatchewan (December 2014).

Laboratory characterization of invasive Haemophilus influenzae isolates from Nunavut, Canada, 2000-2012.

Background: With invasive Haemophilus influenzae serotype b (Hib) disease controlled by vaccination with conjugate Hib vaccines, there is concern that invasive disease due to non-serotype b strains may emerge.

Objective: This study characterized invasive H. influenzae (Hi) isolates from Nunavut, Canada, in the post-Hib vaccine era.