A national investigation of the prevalence and diversity of thermophilic Campylobacter species in agricultural watersheds in Canada.

The occurrence and diversity of thermophilic Campylobacter species (C. jejuni, coli, and lari) were studied in water samples from four river basins located across Canada. These basins located in Quebec (Bras d'Henri), Alberta (Oldman), Ontario (South Nation), and British Columbia (Sumas) represented some of the most intensive farming areas in Canada for hog, beef cattle, dairy cattle, and poultry, respectively.

A Canadian application of one health: integration of Salmonella data from various Canadian surveillance programs (2005-2010).

Most bacterial pathogens associated with human enteric illness have zoonotic origins and can be transmitted directly from animals to people or indirectly through food and water. This multitude of potential exposure routes and sources makes the epidemiology of these infectious agents complex. To better understand these illnesses and identify solutions to reduce human disease, an integrative approach like One Health is needed.

A methods comparison for the isolation and detection of thermophilic Campylobacter in agricultural watersheds.

Campylobacter species contribute to an enormous burden of enteric illnesses around the world. This study compared two different methods for detecting Campylobacter species in surface water samples from agricultural watersheds across Canada. One method was based on membrane filtration (MF) of 500 ml water samples followed by selective microaerophilic enrichment at 42 degrees C in Bolton broth, isolation of Campylobacter on CCDA, and subsequent identification confirmation by a PCR assay.

Development of a rapid quantitative PCR assay for direct detection and quantification of culturable and non-culturable Escherichia coli from agriculture watersheds.

A real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) assay was developed for detecting and quantifying Escherichia coli in water samples from agricultural watersheds. The assay included optimization of DNA extraction and purification from water samples, and Q-PCR amplification conditions using newly designed species-specific oligonucleotide primers derived from conserved flanking regions of the 16S rRNA gene, the internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) and the 23S rRNA gene. The assay was optimized using a pure culture of E.