Publications

use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis for epidemiological study of bordetella pertussis in a whooping cough outbreak.	we used pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (pfge) of chromosomal dna digested with xbai to determine the distribution of different bordetella pertussis strains from clinical isolates obtained during a large whooping cough outbreak that occurred in alberta, canada, from december 1989 to may 1991. our initial study analyzed 28 clinical isolates, 14 from the city of edmonton and 1 from each of 14 northern alberta towns. these clinical isolates were randomly chosen over the course of the 18-month outb ...	1994	8150949
major outbreak of pertussis in northern alberta, canada: analysis of discrepant direct fluorescent-antibody and culture results by using polymerase chain reaction methodology.	a major outbreak of 5,683 cases of pertussis occurred in northern alberta, canada, from december 1989 to january 1991. the outbreak highlighted a number of problems with current methods of pertussis diagnosis. in particular, an exceptionally high proportion of direct fluorescent-antibody (dfa)-positive, culture-negative specimens (88.4%) was identified. we took this opportunity to use polymerase chain reaction (pcr) methodology to examine whether the low culture rates were due to specimens conta ...	1993	8349747
genomic plasticity in natural populations of bordetella pertussis.	we determined the genomic organization of 14 clinical strains of bordetella pertussis isolated over an 18-month period in alberta, canada. the maps of these 14 strains, while demonstrating general similarity of gene order, display a number of examples of genomic rearrangements in the form of large chromosomal inversions.	1999	10464229
strain variation among bordetella pertussis isolates from québec and alberta provinces of canada from 1985 to 1994.	pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and gene typing were able to differentiate among 3,597 bordetella pertussis isolates circulating in alberta and québec provinces, canada, from 1985 to 1994 and distinguish them from the strains used in vaccine production. this study provides a baseline for continued surveillance of prevalent and emerging strains of b. pertussis in canada.	2003	12843089
bordetella pertussis in sporadic and outbreak settings in alberta, canada, july 2004-december 2012.	provlab alberta provides all laboratory testing for bordetella pertussis including sporadic cases and outbreak investigations through collaborations with provincial public health partners. we describe b. pertussis activity in alberta from july 2004 to december 2012.	2014	24476570
dominance of two genotypes of bordetella pertussis during a period of increased pertussis activity in alberta, canada: january to august 2012.	the purpose of this study was to undertake an epidemiological analysis of an increase in bordetella pertussis activity during the period january 1 to august 31, 2012 in alberta, canada. b. pertussis testing was done using an is481 real-time pcr assay with pcr-positive and indeterminate specimens cultured and stored for further analysis.	2014	25462185
antigenic and genetic characterization of bordetella pertussis recovered from quebec, canada, 2002-2014: detection of a genetic shift.	despite vaccination, cyclical peaks of bordetella pertussis incidence rates are still observed in canada and other developed countries, making pertussis one of the most prevalent vaccine preventable bacterial diseases. in the postacellular vaccine era, evolution of bacterial strains has resulted in strains with altered vaccine antigens. previous canadian studies have focused on isolates mainly from the provinces of ontario and alberta, with only small numbers of isolates from other provinces. th ...	2016	26910633
how well do icd-9 physician claim diagnostic codes identify confirmed pertussis cases in alberta, canada? a canadian immunization research network (cirn) study.	rates of bordetella pertussis have been increasing in alberta, canada despite vaccination programs. waning immunity from existing acellular component vaccines may be contributing to this. vaccine effectiveness can be estimated using a variety of data sources including diagnostic codes from physician billing claims, public health records, reportable disease and laboratory databases. we sought to determine if diagnostic codes from billing claims (administrative data) are adequately sensitive and s ...	2017	28701222