A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF COMMUNITY WATER SYSTEMS AND DRINKING WATER ADVISORIES ACTIVE IN SASKATCHEWAN COMMUNITIES FROM 2012-2016

This research aimed to describe temporal patterns in the number and duration of drinking water advisories in Saskatchewan communities on and off reserve from 2012 to 2016. The analyses included 445 communities – including cities, towns, villages, and reserves – in which 2036 advisories were in effect. The large sample test of proportion was used to compare the observed proportion of advisories issued which occurred on and off reserve to the expected proportion based upon the proportion of communities which experienced an advisory during the study period that were reserve or non-reserve. Comparisons were also conducted which took into account the size of non-reserve communities, the season advisories were issued, the year advisory were issued, and the community’s geographic region. Descriptive statistics were utilized to describe reasons for issuing advisories. The duration of advisories was investigated using the same comparisons, as well as the reason for issuing advisories, using the Kruskal Wallis and Mann Whitney U Test. Reserve drinking water systems were found to have fewer advisories than would be expected when compared to communities off reserve (p<0.01). Advisories on reserve were longer lasting than those off reserve, the median advisory lasted 14 days on reserve and 9 days for the smallest community type off reserve (villages) (p<0.01). Advisories occurred more often in summer for both reserve and non reserve communities. But while advisories were equivalent in duration across seasons off reserve, advisories issued for reserves were significantly longer if they were issued during the winter(p=<0.02). Advisories were issued more often off reserve for depressurization and equipment issues, while power outages, disinfection failures, contamination, and operation deviation were more common on reserve. The analyses included in this study highlight the acute problem of drinking water on reserve and shows that significant work remains to ensure that all Saskatchewan residents have access to safe, potable drinking water. The use of comparison between reserve and non-reserve communities represents an important step forward towards understanding the extent and causes of drinking water disparities across Saskatchewan

From mouth to macrophage: mechanisms of innate immune subversion by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis

International audienceJohne’s disease (JD) is a chronic enteric infection of cattle caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). The high economic cost and potential zoonotic threat of JD have driven efforts to develop tools and approaches to effectively manage this disease within livestock herds. Efforts to control JD through traditional animal management practices are complicated by MAP’s ability to cause long-term environmental contamination as well as difficulties associated with diagnosis of JD in the pre-clinical stages. As such, there is particular emphasis on the development of an effective vaccine. This is a daunting challenge, in large part due to MAP’s ability to subvert protective host immune responses. Accordingly, there is a priority to understand MAP’s interaction with the bovine host: this may inform rational targets and approaches for therapeutic intervention. Here we review the early host defenses encountered by MAP and the strategies employed by the pathogen to avert or subvert these responses, during the critical period between ingestion and the establishment of persistent infection in macrophages

2002 Research Honors Program Abstracts

Faculty in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University mentor and guide undergraduate students who have chosen to pursue a research project and graduate with honors. These abstracts reflect the depth of their scholarship and intellectual ability. The research projects encompass work in animal science, biological science, entomology, natural resources, physical science, plant science, and social science