SARS-CoV-2 wildlife surveillance in Ontario and Québec.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, is capable of infecting a variety of wildlife species. Wildlife living in close contact with humans are at an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and, if infected, have the potential to become a reservoir for the pathogen, making control and management more difficult. The objective of this study is to conduct SARS-CoV-2 surveillance in urban wildlife from Ontario and Québec, increasing our knowledge of the epidemiology of the virus and our chances of detecting spillover from humans into wildlife.

An overview of the National West Nile Virus Surveillance System in Canada: A One Health approach.

National West Nile virus (WNV) surveillance was established in partnership with the federal, provincial and territorial governments starting in 2000, with the aim to monitor the emergence and subsequent spread of WNV disease in Canada. As the disease emerged, national WNV surveillance continued to focus on early detection of WNV disease outbreaks in different parts of the country. In Canada, the WNV transmission season occurs from May to November.

Q Fever Outbreak Among Travelers to Germany Who Received Live Cell Therapy--United States and Canada, 2014.

During September–November 2014, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) was notified of five New York state residents who had tested seropositive for Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever. All five patients had symptoms compatible with Q fever (e.g.

Major emerging vector-borne zoonotic diseases of public health importance in Canada.

In Canada, the emergence of vector-borne diseases may occur via international movement and subsequent establishment of vectors and pathogens, or via northward spread from endemic areas in the USA. Re-emergence of endemic vector-borne diseases may occur due to climate-driven changes to their geographic range and ecology. Lyme disease, West Nile virus (WNV), and other vector-borne diseases were identified as priority emerging non-enteric zoonoses in Canada in a prioritization exercise conducted by public health stakeholders in 2013.

Evaluating the use of house sparrow nestlings as sentinels for West Nile virus in Saskatchewan.

This study evaluated the use of house sparrow (Passer domesticus) nestlings as sentinels of West Nile virus (WNV) in the prairie grasslands of Saskatchewan. In the summer of 2006, 600 house sparrow nestlings were collected and pooled tissues tested by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. All tested negative for WNV.

Wild bird influenza survey, Canada, 2005.

Of 4,268 wild ducks sampled in Canada in 2005, real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR detected influenza A matrix protein (M1) gene sequence in 37% and H5 gene sequence in 5%. Mallards accounted for 61% of samples, 73% of M1-positive ducks, and 90% of H5-positive ducks. Ducks hatched in 2005 accounted for 80% of the sample.

West Nile virus surveillance and diagnostics: A Canadian perspective.

A surveillance program has been in place since 2000 to detect the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) in Canada. Serological assays are most appropriate when monitoring for human disease and undertaking case investigations. Genomic amplification procedures are more commonly used for testing animal and mosquito specimens collected as part of ongoing surveillance efforts.

Development of a geographic information-driven real-time surveillance system for disease surveillance.

To respond to emerging public health threats such as West Nile virus, an advanced geographic information systems (GIS) -driven Web-based real-time surveillance system was developed to serve the National West Nile virus dead bird surveillance programme in Canada. The development of this system uses real-time Web GIS technologies and services to enhance conventional real-time surveillance systems based on real-time GIS requirements. The system has three modules: QuickTrack, QuickMap and QuickManage.

A GIS-driven integrated real-time surveillance pilot system for national West Nile virus dead bird surveillance in Canada.

Background: An extensive West Nile virus surveillance program of dead birds, mosquitoes, horses, and human infection has been launched as a result of West Nile virus first being reported in Canada in 2001. Some desktop and web GIS have been applied to West Nile virus dead bird surveillance. There have been urgent needs for a comprehensive GIS services and real-time surveillance.

A seroprevalence study of west nile virus infection in solid organ transplant recipients.

West Nile virus (WNV) causes severe neurological disease in less than 1% of infections. However, meningoencephalitis may be more common in immunosuppressed transplant patients. In 2002, a WNV outbreak occurred in our region.

Effects of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome vaccination in breeding-age animals.

Little is known about the safety and efficacy of extra-label use of the modified live porcine reproductive-and-respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus vaccine in gestating sows. Our purpose was to determine the impact of vaccination on reproductive performance in 54 herds in Ontario, Manitoba (Canada) and the mid-western United States that were PRRS-positive, PRRS-negative, or concurrently affected by an outbreak of PRRS when initially vaccinated. Majority-vaccinated herds vaccinated > or =50% but <100% of sows at one time, and limit-vaccinated herds vaccinated <50% of sows at one time.