Implementation of a national monitoring programme of Campylobacter in Irish broilers to measure progress of on-farm and primary processing control measures.

Background: Campylobacter is the most common food-borne pathogen in the European Union. In 2018, the crude incidence rate in Ireland was 63.6 per 100,000 population.

Disproportionate Rates of COVID-19 Among Black Canadian Communities: Lessons from a Cross-Sectional Study in the First Year of the Pandemic.

Background: Racialized communities, including Black Canadians, have disproportionately higher COVID-19 cases. We examined the extent to which SARS-CoV-2 infection has affected the Black Canadian community and the factors associated with the infection.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey in an area of Ontario (northwest Toronto/Peel Region) with a high proportion of Black residents along with 2 areas that have lower proportions of Black residents (Oakville and London, Ontario).

Death at sea-the true rate of occupational fatality within the Australian commercial fishing industry.

Although the safety performance of the Australian commercial fishing industry has been the subject of multiple investigations, it has ultimately remained undefined. While most Australian industries notify industry regulators of significant workplace incidents and injuries in their operations, the majority of persons in the commercial fishing industry are contractors who are paid piecework and in some jurisdictions specifically excluded from the worker compensation legislation, meaning that most occupational injuries, including fatalities, are not captured in the centralized worker compensation data sets. This study presents the analysis of a systematic review of industry databases, published academic, and, Australian coroners reports to assist improve the definition of the nation's commercial fishing industry safety performance.

Genomic diversity, virulence and source of Campylobacter jejuni contamination in Irish poultry slaughterhouses by whole genome sequencing.

Aims: The aim was to exploit whole genome sequencing (WGS) to assess genomic diversity, identify virulence genes and deduce the proportion of Campylobacter colonized broilers that directly contaminate their carcasses.

Methods And Results: Campylobacter jejuni isolates (107) from caeca and carcass neck skin samples (50 pairs from the same batch plus 7 individual caeca) sampled at three poultry slaughterhouses over a one-year period were selected for sequencing (MiSeq; Illumina). FastQ files were submitted to BioNumerics for analysis using the wgMLST scheme for allele calling.

Prevalence and levels of Campylobacter in broiler chicken batches and carcasses in Ireland in 2017-2018.

In 2008, an EU wide baseline survey of broilers revealed a high Campylobacter prevalence. To assist with industry-wide controls, updated data were required. The primary objective of this study was to establish up-to-date data on Campylobacter carriage and carcass contamination in Irish broilers.