Near real-time determination of B.1.1.7 in proportion to total SARS-CoV-2 viral load in wastewater using an allele-specific primer extension PCR strategy

"The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome corona- virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has claimed millions of lives to date. Antigenic drift has resulted in viral variants with putatively greater transmissibility, virulence, or both. Early and near real-time detection of these variants of concern (VOC) and the ability to accurately follow their incidence and prevalence in communities is wanting. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE), which uses nucleic acid amplification tests to detect viral fragments, is a reliable proxy of COVID-19 incidence and prevalence, and thus offers the potential to monitor VOC viral load in a given population. Here, we describe and validate a primer extension PCR strategy targeting a signature mutation in the N gene of SARS-CoV-2. This allows quantification of B.1.1.7 versus non-B.1.1.7 allele frequency in wastewater without the need to employ quantitative RT-PCR standard curves. We show that the wastewater B.1.1.7 profile correlates with its clinical counterpart and benefits from a near real-time and facile data collection and reporting pipeline. This assay can be quickly implemented within a current SARS-CoV-2 WBE framework with minimal cost; allowing early and contemporaneous estimates of B.1.1.7 community transmission prior to, or in lieu of, clinical screening and identification. Our study demonstrates that this strategy can provide public health units with an additional and much needed tool to rapidly triangulate VOC incidence/prevalence with high sensitivity and lineage specificity"National Microbiology Laboratory||Water Services at the Cities of Ottawa and Barrie||Ottawa Public Health||Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit|| Public Health Ontario||Ontario Wastewater Surveillance Initiativ

Dopamine, serotonin and impulsivity.

Impulsive people have a strong urge to act without thinking. It is sometimes regarded as a positive trait but rash impulsiveness is also widely present in clinical disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), drug dependence, mania, and antisocial behaviour. Contemporary research has begun to make major inroads into unravelling the brain mechanisms underlying impulsive behaviour with a prominent focus on the limbic cortico-striatal systems. With this progress has come the understanding that impulsivity is a multi-faceted behavioural trait involving neurally and psychologically diverse elements. We discuss the significance of this heterogeneity for clinical disorders expressing impulsive behaviour and the pivotal contribution made by the brain dopamine and serotonin systems in the aetiology and treatment of behavioural syndromes expressing impulsive symptoms

Salmonella, weather and climate change in Australia

Global temperatures have increased over the previous century, due in large part to human actions. Changes in climate and increases in the variability and distribution of weather patterns are expected to have both direct and indirect consequences on human health. The incidence and distribution of infectious diseases in Australia is expected to shift as a result of increasing temperatures and shifts in precipitation and relative humidity patterns. Previous research has demonstrated a relationship between Salmonella infection and weather. This thesis investigates this relationship at a level of detail that has not previously been explored. This thesis uses local, daily data to explore the relationship between weather and Salmonella infection across Australia. Using notified cases of Salmonella infection from the national surveillance authority, and transformed weather station data from 1991 to 2004, a positive relationship between increasing temperatures and Salmonella infection, and a variable influence of changes in precipitation and humidity in Australia are determined at a level of detail previously unexplored. These relationships are demonstrated to vary across the climate regions of Australia with a 16% to 77% increase in the rate of Salmonella infection estimated for an increase in the average temperature from 15{u00B0}C to 20 {u00B0}C. The most positive influence of increasing temperatures on Salmonella infection is modelled in the tropical, warm humid regions of northern Australia. There is also variation in the relationship between infection and weather evident in the analysis of specific serovars (Salmonella Typhimurium in northern Australia and Salmonella Mississippi in Tasmania). These results suggest both regional variation and serovar specific variation in the transmission pathways of Salmonella susceptible to the influence of weather. These estimations present a baseline against which to estimate the success of future public health interventions, but they are susceptible to the ability and willingness of global populations to curtail future greenhouse gas emissions to levels estimated to produce only a 1 {u00B0}C to 2 {u00B0}C increase in global temperatures. The predictive ability of these regional and serovar-specific models of infection are validated using weather and notification data from 2005 2007 and then the modelled relationship between infection and weather is extrapolated to estimate the future incidence of Salmonella infection under a future (moderate) climate change scenario. Expected changes in temperature, relative humidity and population distribution in Australia are used to project a 1.5% increase in the incidence of Salmonella infection across all Australia by 2020, and a 2.8% increase in incidence by 2030. These projections correspond to an additional 9,400 cases of Salmonella infection in the community by 2020 and an additional 16,400 cases by 2030, with the largest proportional increase in disease estimated for the tropical humid northern regions of Australia

Public health impact of global heating due to climate change: potential effects on chronic non-communicable diseases

OBJECTIVES: Several categories of ill health important at the global level are likely to be affected by climate change. To date the focus of this association has been on communicable diseases and injuries. This paper briefly analyzes potential impacts o

Development of a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Using a Public Health Lens to Determine Local Health Vulnerabilities: An Ontario Health Unit Experience

Climate change is negatively impacting the health of Canadians and is accordingly expected to have a significant impact on public health agencies and their response to these health impacts throughout the twenty-first century. While national and international research and assessments have explored the potential human health impacts of climate change, few assessments have explored the implications of climate change from a local public health perspective. An applied research approach to expand local knowledge and action of health vulnerabilities through a climate change action plan and vulnerability assessment was utilized by a local public health agency. Adoption and adaptation of the approach used may be valuable for public health organizations to assist their communities. Through completing a vulnerability assessment, an evidentiary base was generated for public health to inform adaptation actions to reduce negative health impacts and increase resiliency. Challenges in completing vulnerability assessments at the local level include the framing and scoping of health impacts and associated indicators, as well as access to internal expertise surrounding the analysis of data. While access to quantitative data may be limiting at the local level, qualitative data can enhance knowledge of local impacts, while also supporting the creation of key partnerships with community stakeholders which can ensure climate action continues beyond the scope of the vulnerability assessment