A5070710877- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing
- Cystic Fibrosis Research Advances
- Biosensors and Analytical Detection
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Gut microbiota and health
- COVID-19 diagnosis using AI
- Tracheal and airway disorders
- COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections
- Fecal contamination and water quality
- Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Urban Stormwater Management Solutions
- Inhalation and Respiratory Drug Delivery
- Water Treatment and Disinfection
- Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Nosocomial Infections in ICU
- Respiratory viral infections research
- Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Pediatric health and respiratory diseases
University of Calgary
2017-2025
Virginia Tech
2023-2025
Biomedical Research Institute
2023-2025
McMaster University
2024
Alberta Health Services
2024
University of Alberta
2012-2022
University of Waterloo
2022
Universidad de Los Andes
2010
SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in wastewater and its abundance correlated with community COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations deaths. We sought to use wastewater-based detection of assess the epidemiology hospitals. Between August December 2020, twice-weekly samples from three tertiary-care hospitals (totaling > 2100 dedicated inpatient beds) were collected. Hospital-1 Hospital-2 could be captured a single sampling point whereas Hospital-3 required separate monitoring sites. Wastewater...
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is an emerging surveillance tool that has been used to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic by tracking SARS-CoV-2 RNA shed into wastewater. WBE was performed occurrence and spread of from three wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) six neighborhoods in city Calgary, Canada (population 1.44 million). A total 222 WWTP 192 neighborhood samples were collected June 2020 May 2021, encompassing end first-wave (June 2020), second-wave (November December 2020)...
Background Complex polymicrobial communities infect cystic fibrosis (CF) lower airways. Generally, with low diversity, dominated by classical CF pathogens, associate worsened patient status at sample collection. However, it is not known if the microbiome can predict future outcomes. We sought to determine could be adapted as a biomarker for prognostication. Methods retrospectively assessed prospectively collected sputum from cohort of 104 individuals aged 18–22 factors associated progression...
Abstract A diverse microbiota exists within the airways of individuals with non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (nCFB). How lung microbiome evolves over time, and whether changes correlate future disease progression is not yet known. We assessed microbial community structure 133 serial sputa subsequent course 29 nCFB patients collected a span 4–16 years using 16S rRNA paired-end sequencing. Interestingly, no significant shifts in were observed during extended follow-up suggesting remains...
Aztreonam lysine for inhalation (AZLI) is an inhaled antibiotic used to treat chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in CF. AZLI improves lung function and quality of life, reduces exacerbations-improvements attributed its antipseudomonal activity. Given the extremely high aztreonam concentrations achieved lower airways by nebulization, we speculate this may extend spectrum activity other organisms. As such, sought determine if affects CF microbiome whether community constituents can be...
Wastewater‐based surveillance has become an important tool for research groups and public health agencies investigating monitoring the COVID‐19 pandemic other emergencies including pathogens drug abuse. While there is emerging body of evidence exploring possibility predicting infections from wastewater signals, remain significant challenges statistical modeling. Longitudinal observations viral copies in municipal can be influenced by noisy datasets missing values with irregular sparse...
Understanding factors associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR) distribution across populations is a necessary step in planning mitigation measures. While associations between AMR and socioeconomic-status (SES), including employment education have been increasingly recognized low- middle-income settings, connections are less clear high-income countries where SES remains an important influence on other health outcomes. We explored the relationship Calgary, Canada using spatially-resolved...
Vancomycin resistant Enterococcus (VRE) is an important cause of healthcare associated infections. We adapted wastewater based surveillance as a tool to longitudinally monitor VRE in hospitals through the detection vancomycin resistance genes vanA and vanB. Wastewater from four tertiary care (three adult one pediatric, totaling >2300 inpatient beds) all three municipal treatment plants (WWTP) Calgary, Canada (1.4 million) was sampled weekly (March September 2022) every other week...
Municipal wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) programs for SARS-CoV-2 were valuable tools epidemiological modelling and informing COVID-19 health policy during the pandemic. We conducted a near to source study assess capacity performance of WBS in schools relative municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Only 4/17 screened had plumbing systems that amenable WBS. From December 2020 - March 2021 composite collected 2X/week from four three WWTP assessed fecal biomarkers. Schools lower...
InfoMetricsFiguresRef. Environmental Science & TechnologyASAPArticle This publication is Open Access under the license indicated. Learn More CiteCitationCitation and abstractCitation referencesMore citation options ShareShare onFacebookX (Twitter)WeChatLinkedInRedditEmailJump toExpandCollapse ViewpointJanuary 28, 2025Strengthening Policy Relevance of Wastewater-Based Surveillance for Antimicrobial ResistanceClick to copy article linkArticle link copied!Sheena Conforti*Sheena ConfortiEawag,...
Abstract Background Shigatoxin-producing E. coli (STEC) are responsible for significant human morbidity, with the potential to cause severe food-borne illness and outbreaks. STEC incidence varies between communities peaks in summer months (PMID 31652648). Leveraging a SARS-CoV-2 WBS program, we sought explore genomic targets WBS.Figure 1.Prevalence of differs across Alberta’s municipal sewer sheds Methods Composite-24h wastewater (WW) was collected from geographically disparate,...
Abstract Background Hospitals represent ideal locations for developing wastewater (WW) surveillance antibiotics (Abx), owing to the high frequency of Abx use and robust record-keeping. To investigate this technology as a potentially useful stewardship tool, we compared concentration several in WW from tertiary care hospitals their corresponding levels surrounding municipality. Concentration 4 common antimicrobials found hospital effluent over 4-month period Concentrations measured 3...
Abstract Neuronal mitochondria are diverse across cell types and subcellular compartments in order to meet unique energy demands. While essential for synaptic transmission plasticity, the mechanisms regulating support normal synapse function incompletely understood. The mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) is proposed couple neuronal activity ATP production, which would allow neurons rapidly adapt changing MCU uniquely enriched hippocampal CA2 distal dendrites compared proximal dendrites,...
The cystic fibrosis (CF) airways are infected with a diverse polymicrobial community.Understanding how changes in the CF microbiome have occurred over time, similar to observed prevalence of cultured pathogens, is key understanding microbiome's role disease.Drawing from prospectively collected and maintained sputum biobank, we identified 45 patients samples between ages 18 21 years three successive cohorts adults transitioning our clinic: A (1997-2000), B (2004-2007), C (2010-2013). Patient...
The Cpx pathway, a two-component system that employs the sensor histidine kinase CpxA and response regulator CpxR, regulates crucial envelope stress responses across bacterial species affects antibiotic resistance. To characterize CpxR regulon in Vibrio cholerae , transcriptional profile of pandemic V. El Tor C6706 strain was examined upon overexpression cpxR . Our data show is enriched genes encoding membrane-localized transport proteins, including large number known or predicted to be iron...
Wastewater monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 enables early detection and the COVID-19 disease burden in communities can track specific variants concern. We determined proportions Omicron Delta across 30 municipalities covering >75% province Alberta (population 4.5 million), Canada, during November 2021-January 2022. Larger cities Calgary Edmonton exhibited more rapid emergence than did smaller remote municipalities. Notable exceptions were Banff, a small international resort town, Fort McMurray,...
Wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 surveillance enables unbiased and comprehensive monitoring of defined sewersheds. We performed real-time hospital wastewater that differentiated Delta 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 between August/2021 January/2022, quantified using RT-qPCR. Assays targeting R203M R203K/G204R established the proportional...
Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has been established as a powerful tool that can guide health policy at multiple levels of government. However, this approach not well assessed more granular scales, including large work sites such University campuses. Between August 2021 and April 2022, we explored the occurrence SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater using qPCR assays from complimentary sewer catchments residential buildings spanning Calgary's campus how compared to municipal treatment plant...
AIM:To investigate Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori ) CagA diversity and to evaluate the association between protein polymorphisms occurrence of gastric pathologies. METHODS:One hundred twenty-two clinical isolates H. cultured from biopsies obtained Colombian patients with dyspepsia were included as study material.DNA extracted was used determine cagA status, amplifying C-terminal gene region by polymerase chain reaction.One six strains a single amplicon sequenced results characterize 3'...
The real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), commonly known as quantitative PCR (qPCR), is increasingly common in environmental microbiology applications. During the COVID-19 pandemic, qPCR combined with reverse transcription (RT-qPCR) has been used to detect and quantify SARS-CoV-2 clinical diagnoses wastewater monitoring of local trends. Estimation concentrations using often features a log-linear standard curve model calibrating quantification cycle (Cq) values obtained from underlying...
Inhaled tobramycin powder/solution (TIP/S) use has resulted in improved clinical outcomes patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, TIP/S effect on the CF sputum microbiome not been explored. We hypothesised that additional 'off-target' effects beyond merely P. aeruginosa and baseline prior to initiation of therapy is associated subsequent patient response.We drew samples from a prospectively collected biobank. Patients were included if they had one sample...
ABSTRACT The Cpx envelope stress response facilitates adaptation to stresses that lead the misfolding of periplasmic proteins. Cpx-mediated involves elevated expression proteases and chaperones. Previously, we demonstrated induction in enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) also results inhibition type III secretion (T3S) this is correlated with downregulated transcription relevant genes. Here, investigated whether might exert posttranscriptional effects on T3S apparatus. We show DsbA...
Bacteria possess signal transduction pathways capable of sensing and responding to a wide variety signals. The Cpx envelope stress response, composed the sensor histidine kinase CpxA response regulator CpxR, senses mediates adaptation insults bacterial envelope. has been implicated in regulation number envelope-localized virulence determinants across species. Here, we show that activation pathway Vibrio cholerae El Tor strain C6706 leads decrease expression major factors this organism,...