Clinical epidemiology and impact of Haemophilus influenzae airway infections in adults with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Haemophilus influenzae is prevalent within the airways of persons with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). H. influenzae is often associated with pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) in pediatric cohorts, but in adults, studies have yielded conflicting reports around the impact(s) on clinical outcomes such as lung function decline.

Early warning COVID-19 outbreak in long-term care facilities using wastewater surveillance: correlation, prediction, and interaction with clinical and serological statuses.

Background: The unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the strategic value of wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) of SARS-CoV-2. This multisite 28-month-long study focused on WBS for older residents in 12 long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in Edmonton (AB, Canada) by assessing relationships between COVID-19, WBS, and serostatus during the pandemic.

Methods: Wastewater samples collected two to three times per week were tested for SARS-CoV-2 using RT-quantitative PCR.

Combined medical-interventional approaches for the management of complex fungal balls: a case series as a viable alternative in non-surgical patients.

Intracavitary pulmonary aspergilloma is a persistent and life-threatening infection that carries a mortality rate of up to 15%. It occurs when Aspergillus species gain entry to an existing lung cavity. In the absence of definitive treatment, patients may succumb to severe complications such as massive hemoptysis, cachexia, or secondary infections.

The airway microbiome of persons with cystic fibrosis correlates with acquisition and microbiological outcomes of incident infection.

Rationale: Chronic infection with in persons with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) has been linked to an increased risk of pulmonary exacerbations and lung function decline. We sought to establish whether baseline sputum microbiome associates with risk of incident infection and persistence in pwCF.

Methods: pwCF experiencing incident infections attending the Calgary Adult CF Clinic from 2010-2018 were compared with -negative sex, age (+/-2 years), and birth-cohort-matched controls.

Porcine-derived pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy may be linked to chronic hepatitis E virus infection in cystic fibrosis lung transplant recipients.

Objectives: In high-income countries hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an uncommonly diagnosed porcine-derived zoonoses. After identifying disproportionate chronic HEV infections in persons with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) postlung transplant, we sought to understand its epidemiology and potential drivers.

Design: All pwCF post-transplant attending our regional CF centre were screened for HEV.

Evaluating Sinus Microbiology by Transplant Status in Persons With Cystic Fibrosis: A Matched Cohort Study.

Objective: Sinus disease is prevalent in persons with cystic fibrosis (PwCF) and may be a reservoir of airway infection in postlung transplant (pTx) patients. The microbial composition of cystic fibrosis sinuses and its associations with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is relatively unexplored. We aimed to examine the sinus and lower airway microbiome and their associations with CRS in PwCF and pTxPwCF.

A Bayesian framework for modeling COVID-19 case numbers through longitudinal monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater.

Wastewater-based surveillance has become an important tool for research groups and public health agencies investigating and monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies including other pathogens and drug abuse. While there is an emerging body of evidence exploring the possibility of predicting COVID-19 infections from wastewater signals, there remain significant challenges for statistical modeling. Longitudinal observations of viral copies in municipal wastewater can be influenced by noisy datasets and missing values with irregular and sparse samplings.

Wastewater-based surveillance as a tool for public health action: SARS-CoV-2 and beyond.

Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has undergone dramatic advancement in the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The power and potential of this platform technology were rapidly realized when it became evident that not only did WBS-measured SARS-CoV-2 RNA correlate strongly with COVID-19 clinical disease within monitored populations but also, in fact, it functioned as a leading indicator. Teams from across the globe rapidly innovated novel approaches by which wastewater could be collected from diverse sewersheds ranging from wastewater treatment plants (enabling community-level surveillance) to more granular locations including individual neighborhoods and high-risk buildings such as long-term care facilities (LTCF).

Elexacaftor-Tezacaftor-Ivacaftor in 2 cystic fibrosis adults homozygous for M1101K with end-stage lung disease.

Elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor (ETI) therapy is shown to improve the health of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) who have the F508del variant. There are studies showing benefit with ETI for select rare CF variants. Limited data exists on the use of ETI in individuals with rare CF variants, particularly in those with advanced lung disease.

Prevalence and impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) in adults with cystic fibrosis: A self-reported cross-sectional Canadian survey.

Background: In persons with cystic fibrosis (pwCF), little is known about the prevalence or impact of HPV on quality of life and attitudes towards vaccination.

Methods: We conducted a national online survey of adult pwCF. We sought to determine the prevalence of self-reported HPV infection, disease-associated complications and effects on quality of life.

Campus node-based wastewater surveillance enables COVID-19 case localization and confirms lower SARS-CoV-2 burden relative to the surrounding community.

Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has been established as a powerful tool that can guide health policy at multiple levels of government. However, this approach has not been well assessed at more granular scales, including large work sites such as University campuses. Between August 2021 and April 2022, we explored the occurrence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater using qPCR assays from multiple complimentary sewer catchments and residential buildings spanning the University of Calgary's campus and how this compared to levels from the municipal wastewater treatment plant servicing the campus.

Wastewater surveillance monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and dynamics of transmission and community burden of COVID-19.

Wastewater-based surveillance is a valuable approach for monitoring COVID-19 at community level. Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) in wastewater has become increasingly relevant when clinical testing capacity and case-based surveillance are limited. In this study, we ascertained the turnover of six VOC in Alberta wastewater from May 2020 to May 2022.

natural history and evolution in the airways of adults with cystic fibrosis.

Introduction: is an opportunistic pathogen infecting persons with cystic fibrosis (pwCF) and portends a worse prognosis. Studies of infection dynamics have been limited by cohort size and follow-up. We investigated the natural history, transmission potential, and evolution of in a large Canadian cohort of 321 pwCF over a 37-year period.

Wastewater-based surveillance can be used to model COVID-19-associated workforce absenteeism.

Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) of infectious diseases is a powerful tool for understanding community COVID-19 disease burden and informing public health policy. The potential of WBS for understanding COVID-19's impact in non-healthcare settings has not been explored to the same degree. Here we examined how SARS-CoV-2 measured from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) correlates with workforce absenteeism.

Single nucleotide variants in populations from sputum correlate with baseline lung function and predict disease progression in individuals with cystic fibrosis.

The severity and progression of lung disease are highly variable across individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) and are imperfectly predicted by mutations in the human gene CFTR, lung microbiome variation or other clinical factors. The opportunistic pathogen () dominates airway infections in most CF adults. Here we hypothesized that within-host genetic variation of populations would be associated with lung disease severity.

Incidence, susceptibility and outcomes of candidemia in adults living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (2010-2018).

Background: Candidemia is increasing in frequency and is associated with high mortality. We sought to determine the burden of illness, the population it affects and its resistance profile in our region.

Methods: The Calgary Zone (CZ) provides all care for residents of Calgary and surrounding communities (~ 1.

Microbial Epidemiology of the Cystic Fibrosis Airways: Past, Present, and Future.

Progressive obstructive lung disease secondary to chronic airway infection, coupled with impaired host immunity, is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF). Classical pathogens found in the airways of persons with CF (pwCF) include the complex, species, and While traditional respiratory-tract surveillance culturing has focused on this limited range of pathogens, the use of both comprehensive culture and culture-independent molecular approaches have demonstrated complex highly personalized microbial communities. Loss of bacterial community diversity and richness, counteracted with relative increases in dominant taxa by traditional CF pathogens such as or , have long been considered the hallmark of disease progression.

Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 and its variants in wastewater of tertiary care hospitals correlates with increasing case burden and outbreaks.

Wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 surveillance enables unbiased and comprehensive monitoring of defined sewersheds. We performed real-time monitoring of hospital wastewater that differentiated Delta and Omicron variants within total SARS-CoV-2-RNA, enabling correlation to COVID-19 cases from three tertiary-care facilities with >2100 inpatient beds in Calgary, Canada. RNA was extracted from hospital wastewater between August/2021 and January/2022, and SARS-CoV-2 quantified using RT-qPCR.

The natural history and genetic diversity of Haemophilus influenzae infecting the airways of adults with cystic fibrosis.

Haemophilus influenzae is a Gram-negative pathobiont, frequently recovered from the airways of persons with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). Previous studies of H. influenzae infection dynamics and transmission in CF predominantly used molecular methods, lacking resolution.

Exploring the Cystic Fibrosis Lung Microbiome: Making the Most of a Sticky Situation.

Chronic lower respiratory tract infections are a leading contributor to morbidity and mortality in persons with cystic fibrosis (pwCF). Traditional respiratory tract surveillance culturing has focused on a limited range of classic pathogens; however, comprehensive culture and culture-independent molecular approaches have demonstrated complex communities highly unique to each individual. Microbial community structure evolves through the lifetime of pwCF and is associated with baseline disease state and rates of disease progression including occurrence of pulmonary exacerbations.