The emergence of Cryptococcus gattii in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest

2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen H. Bartlett ◽  
Sarah E. Kidd ◽  
James W. Kronstad
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Cryptococcus Gattii ◽  
The Pacific

scholarly journals Characterization of Environmental Sources of the Human and Animal Pathogen Cryptococcus gattii in British Columbia, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest of the United States

2006 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 1433-1443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Kidd ◽  
Yat Chow ◽  
Sunny Mak ◽  
Paxton J. Bach ◽  
Huiming Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Sampling Site ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cryptococcus Gattii ◽  
Environmental Distribution ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Genetic Subtype ◽  
The Central Nervous System

ABSTRACT Cryptococcus gattii has recently emerged as a primary pathogen of humans and wild and domesticated animals in British Columbia, particularly on Vancouver Island. C. gattii infections are typically infections of the pulmonary and/or the central nervous system, and the incidence of infection in British Columbia is currently the highest reported globally. Prior to this emergence, the environmental distribution of and the extent of colonization by C. gattii in British Columbia were unknown. We characterized the environmental sources and potential determinants of colonization in British Columbia. C. gattii was isolated from tree surfaces, soil, air, freshwater, and seawater, and no seasonal prevalence was observed. The C. gattii concentrations in air samples were significantly higher during the warm, dry summer months, although potentially infectious propagules (<3.3 μm in diameter) were present throughout the year. Positive samples were obtained from many different areas of British Columbia, and some locations were colonization “hot spots.” C. gattii was generally isolated from acidic soil, and geographic differences in soil pH may influence the extent of colonization. C. gattii soil colonization also was associated with low moisture and low organic carbon contents. Most of the C. gattii isolates recovered belonged to the VGIIa genetic subtype; however, sympatric colonization by the VGIIb strain was observed at most locations. At one sampling site, VGIIa, VGIIb, VGI, and the Cryptococcus neoformans serotype AD hybrid all were coisolated. Our findings indicate extensive colonization by C. gattii within British Columbia and highlight an expansion of the ecological niche of this pathogen.

Experiments on Oral Secretion of the Rocky Mountain Wood Tick, Dermacentor andersoni Stiles (Acarina: Ixodidae)

1957 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Gregson
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Dermacentor Variabilis ◽  
Oral Secretion ◽  
Amblyomma Maculatum ◽  
Dermacentor Andersoni ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Tick Paralysis ◽  
Rocky Mountain Wood Tick

Tick paralysis continues to be one of the most baffling and fascinating tickborne diseases in Canada. It was first reported in this country by Todd in 1912. Since then about 250 human cases, including 28 deaths, have been recorded from British Columbia. Outbreaks in cattle have affected up to 400 animals at a time, with losses in a herd as high as 65 head. Although the disease is most common in the Pacific northwest, where it is caused by the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni Stiles, it has lately been reported as far south as Florida and has been produced by Dermacentor variabilis Say, Amblyomma maculatum Koch, and A. americanum (L.) (Gregson, 1953). The symptoms include a gradual ascending symmetrical flaccid paralysis. Apparently only man, sheep, cattle, dogs, and buffalo (one known instance) are susceptible, but even these may not necessarily be paralysed.

1999 Pacific Northwest Labor History Association Conference

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 117-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Jacoby
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Labor History ◽  
Definitive Answer ◽  
Preferable Alternative ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Academic Conferences

I cannot provide a definitive answer to those of us pondering what the best alternative to capitalism is, but after attending the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association (PNLHA) Conference in Westminster, British Columbia, over the weekend of May 28–30, 1999, I can tell you that this is certainly a preferable alternative to standard academic conferences. As usual, the PNLHA was able to produce a cadre of historians (from the trades as well as academia), active unionists, and old-timers whose memories are as tapable as a keg of beer. Although the association designates labor history as its subject, newly elected President Ross Rieder likes to say, “History ends the moment before now.”

Notes on Parathion-Resistant Strains of Two Phytophagous Mites and a Predacious Mite in British Columbia

1958 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. V. G. Morgan ◽  
N. H. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Predacious Mites ◽  
Predacious Mite ◽  
Phytophagous Mites ◽  
European Red Mite ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Resistant Strains ◽  
Tetranychus Pacificus

The existence of strains of mites resistant to parathion has been well established (Garman, 1950; Lienk, Dean, & Chapman, 1952; Newcomer & Dean, 1952; Smith & Fulton, 1951). Resistant strains of the European red mite, Metatetranychus ulmi (Koch), first occurred in orchards of the Pacific northwest in 1950 (Newcomer, 1951; O'Neill & Hantsbarger, 1951), approximately three years after parathion was first used as an acaricide. Two other species of orchard mites, the Pacific mite, Tetranychus pacificus McG., and T. mcdanieli McG., were subsequently reported to have developed parathion-resistant strains in the same area (Newcomer & Dean, 1953). Though parathion is lethal to most predacious mites and insects, Huffaker and Kennett (1953) found a difference in tolerance between species of Typhlodromus in the field and in the laboratory: T. reticulatus Oudms. was very susceptible to parathion whereas T. occidentalis Nesbitt was not appreciably affected by it.

scholarly journals Azole Resistance in Cryptococcus gattii from the Pacific Northwest: Investigation of the Role ofERG11

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (11) ◽  
pp. 5478-5485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles E. Gast ◽  
Luiz R. Basso ◽  
Igor Bruzual ◽  
Brian Wong
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Cryptococcus Gattii ◽  
Azole Resistance ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Coding Sequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Azole Antifungals ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Serious Infections

ABSTRACTCryptococcus gattiiis responsible for an expanding epidemic of serious infections in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States (Pacific Northwest). Some patients with these infections respond poorly to azole antifungals, and high azole MICs have been reported in Pacific NorthwestC. gattii. In this study, multiple azoles (but not amphotericin B) had higher MICs for 25 Pacific NorthwestC. gattiithan for 34 non-Pacific NorthwestC. gattiior 20Cryptococcus neoformansstrains. We therefore examined the roles in azole resistance of overexpression of or mutations in the gene (ERG11) encoding the azole target enzyme.ERG11/ACT1mRNA ratios were higher inC. gattiithan inC. neoformans, but these ratios did not differ in Pacific Northwest and non-Pacific NorthwestC. gattiistrains, nor did they correlate with fluconazole MICs within any group. Three Pacific NorthwestC. gattiistrains with low azole MICs and 2 with high azole MICs had deduced Erg11p sequences that differed at one or more positions from that of the fully sequenced Pacific NorthwestC. gattiistrain R265. However, the azole MICs for conditionalSaccharomyces cerevisiaeerg11mutants expressing the 5 variantERG11s were within 2-fold of the azole MICs forS. cerevisiaeexpressing theERG11gene fromC. gattiiR265, non-Pacific NorthwestC. gattiistrain WM276, orC. neoformansstrains H99 or JEC21. We conclude that neitherERG11overexpression nor variations inERG11coding sequences was responsible for the high azole MICs observed for the Pacific NorthwestC. gattiistrains we studied.

Bioactivity-guided isolation of the active compounds from Rosa nutkana and quantitative analysis of ascorbic acid by HPLCThis article is one of a selection of papers published in this special issue (part 1 of 2) on the Safety and Efficacy of Natural Health Products.

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (9) ◽  
pp. 865-871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo M. Jovel ◽  
Xi Ling Zhou ◽  
Dong Sheng Ming ◽  
Tanya R. Wahbe ◽  
G.H. Neil Towers
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Aboriginal People ◽  
Natural Health Products ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Data ◽  
Therapeutic Uses ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Health Products ◽  
Weak Antibacterial Activity

Rosa nutkana Presl. (Rosaceae) is distributed abundantly throughout central and southern areas of British Columbia, Canada. Aboriginal people in the Pacific Northwest have traditionally used R. nutkana as a food, medicine, and source of cultural material. The methanolic extract of the fruits of R. nutkana was previously found to have inhibitory activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In our study, bioactivity-guided fractionation of the methanol extract from R. nutkana led to the isolation of the following 10 compounds: (i) tormentic acid, (ii) euscaphic acid, (iii) ursolic acid, (iv) maslinic acid, (v) quercetin, (vi) catechin gallate, (vii) quercetin-3-O-glucoside, (viii) 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucoside, (ix) l-ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and (x) 1,6-digalloyl-β-d-glucoside. Structures were elucidated by ultraviolet, infrared, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance data, as well as by comparison with those of the literature. The compounds quercetin, catechin gallate, quercetin-3-O-glucoside, 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucoside, and 1,6-digalloyl-β-d-glucoside exhibited weak antibacterial activity against MRSA. Our research demonstrates the value of traditional knowledge held by Aboriginal people in the Pacific Northwest with respect to uses of R. nutkana. Some described uses in the ethnobotanical literature correspond to activities observed under laboratory conditions. Further work on British Columbia Rosa spp. may contribute to identifying other potential therapeutic uses.

Early Storage and Sedentism on the Pacific Northwest Coast: Ancient DNA Analysis of Salmon Remains from Namu, British Columbia

2006 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aubrey Cannon ◽  
Dongya Y. Yang
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Pink Salmon ◽  
Population Expansion ◽  
Pacific Northwest Coast ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Ancient Dna Analysis ◽  
Salmon Fishery

Ancient DNA identification of salmon remains from the site of Namu on the central coast of British Columbia shows use of a variety of species and an emphasis on pink salmon over the course of the past 7,000 years. These results support arguments that Namu was a permanent village settlement dependent on a salmon storage economy throughout this time. This pattern of subsistence and settlement predates by several millennia the first substantial evidence for population expansion or social differentiation in the region. Periodic salmon shortages in the period after 2000 cal B.C., which are associated with local and regional disruptions in settlement and increased reliance on more marginal resources, appear to be the result of failures in the pink salmon fishery.

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