The lower Saint Lawrence River region of Quebec, a hot spot for sheepfold-associated Q fever in Canada: Review of 258 cases.

Background: The lower Saint Lawrence river region (LSLRR), in Quebec, has a 10-fold higher incidence of Q fever compared to the provincial rate. This study aimed to review clinical cases and the Q fever risk exposure in this region.

Methods: Data were retrieved from microbiology laboratory, medical records from Rimouski Regional Hospital and Public Health reports between 1991 and 2018.

Wastewater-based epidemiology: the crucial role of viral shedding dynamics in small communities.

Background: Wastewater surveillance (WWS) of pathogens is a rapidly evolving field owing to the 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic, which brought about a paradigm shift in public health authorities for the management of pathogen outbreaks. However, the interpretation of WWS in terms of clinical cases remains a challenge, particularly in small communities where large variations in pathogen concentrations are routinely observed without a clear relation to clinical incident cases.

Methods: Results are presented for WWS from six municipalities in the eastern part of Canada during the spring of 2021.

Arrival of the rare carbapenemase OXA-204 in Canada causing a multispecies outbreak over 3 years.

Objectives: To investigate a persistent multispecies OXA-204 outbreak occurring simultaneously in multiple distant hospitals in the province of Quebec, Canada.

Methods: OXA-204 carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) isolated from multiple hospitals between January 2016 and October 2018 were included in the study. An epidemiological inquiry was conducted in order to elucidate possible transmission routes and a putative source.

Joint Modeling of Resistance to Six Antimicrobials in Urinary Escherichia coli Isolates in Quebec, Canada.

Empirical treatment of urinary tract infections should be based on susceptibility profiles specific to the locale and patient population. Additionally, these susceptibility profiles should account for correlations between resistance to different types of antimicrobials. We used hierarchical logistic regression models to investigate geographic, temporal, and demographic trends in resistance to six antimicrobials in community-acquired and nosocomial urinary isolates from three communities in the province of Quebec, Canada, procured between April 2010 and December 2017.

Hospital Drains as Reservoirs of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Multiple-Locus Variable-Number of Tandem Repeats Analysis Genotypes Recovered from Faucets, Sink Surfaces and Patients.

Identifying environmental sources of () related to hospital-acquired infections represents a key challenge for public health. Biofilms in water systems offer protection and favorable growth conditions, and are prime reservoirs of microorganisms. A comparative genotyping survey assessing the relationship between strains recovered in hospital sink biofilm and isolated in clinical specimens was conducted.

Temperature diagnostic to identify high risk areas and optimize Legionella pneumophila surveillance in hot water distribution systems.

Legionella pneumophila is frequently detected in hot water distribution systems and thermal control is a common measure implemented by health care facilities. A risk assessment based on water temperature profiling and temperature distribution within the network is proposed, to guide effective monitoring strategies and allow the identification of high risk areas. Temperature and heat loss at control points (water heater, recirculation, representative points-of-use) were monitored in various sections of five health care facilities hot water distribution systems and results used to develop a temperature-based risk assessment tool.

Coxiella burnetii seroprevalence of shepherds and their flocks in the lower Saint-Lawrence River region of Quebec, Canada.

Objective: To determine the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii among the shepherds and their sheep in the lower Saint-Lawrence River region (LSLRR) of Quebec, Canada.

Design: A prospective human-animal comparative study was conducted with 81 shepherds from 46 farms and a control group matched for sex and age. All participants answered a standardized questionnaire to evaluate their risk factors for Q fever, including a specific section on the work practices of the shepherds.