Mycology Bacteriology Student Virology Mycobacteriology MRSA Transport Media HIV/HPV Herpes/Chlamydia Antibiotics Resistance Methods and Instrumentation SARS Bioterrorism Enterics Laboratory Surveillance Continuous Quality Improvement Late Breakers

Mycology
C1 Genotyping Hepatitis C Virus by Nucleotide Sequence Analysis of the NS5B Region D. MURPHY, INSPQ - LSPQ, B. WILLEMS, CHUM - Hopital Saint-Luc, M. DESCHES, CUSM - Hopital Royal Victoria, N. HILZENRAT, Hopital Gal Juif, R. MOUSSEAU, Hopital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montreal, QC, Canada.

C2 Genotyping of Hepatitis C Virus by Sequencing Using a 96-well Plate Format A. MAK*, R. CHOW, G. MCNABB, A. MCNABB, M. KRAJDEN. British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC

C3 Confirmation of Active HCV Infection: Comparing Core Antigen and Nucleic Acid Testing (NAT) G. McNABB* ¹, R. SHIVJI¹, K. GUNADASA¹, A. MAK¹, M. FRIESENHAHN², D. HENDRICKS², L. COMANOR³ , D. COOK¹, M.PETRIC¹, M. KRAJDEN¹ . BCCDC¹, Vancouver, BC., CA Bayer Diagnostics², Berkeley, CA U.S., Research Consultant³, Palo Alto, CA. U.S.

C4 Performance Characteristics of INNO-LIA HCV III Update Assay for confirmation of HCV Antibodies. A. ANDONOV¹, M.MORBEY¹ AND J. ROCHEFORT². National Microbiology Laboratory¹, Laboratoire de Sante Publique du Quebec²

C5 RT-PCR for the West Nile Fever Virus and Other Mosquito-Borne Flaviviruses M. AYERS¹ , D. ADACHI¹, G. JOHNSON¹, M. ANDONOVA ², M. DREBOT² and R. TELLIER1 *. Hospital for Sick Children¹, Toronto and National Microbiology Laboratory 2, Winnipeg, MB.

C6 Evaluation of EIA Kits for the Detection of WNV Antibodies. C. CLAESSENS*, R. MANTHA, M. FAUVEL, M. COUILLARD. Laboratoire de santpublique du Quebec-INSPQ, Saint


Virology
E1 Analysis of SARS-associated Coronavirus (SARS-CoV ) Laboratory Testing at the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) GA TIPPLES¹*, MA DREBOT1, N BASTIEN¹, Y LI¹, S JONES¹, H FELDMANN¹, A KABANI¹, T. BOOTH¹, A. ANDONOV¹, M FEARON², FRAN JAMIESON², J ISAAC-RENTON³, M KRAJDEN³, A MCNABB³, M PETRIC ³, F PLUMMER¹and the NML SARS investigation team. ¹NML, Health Canada, Winnipeg, MN; ²Laboratory Services Branch, Ontario Ministry of Health, Toronto, On, ³BCCDC, Laboratory Services, Vancouver, BC

E2 Geographic and Molecular Analysis of Norovirus Sequevars Identified in Gastroenteritis Outbreaks in British Columbia L. McINTYRE*, R. CHEN, M-K. LEE, A. McNABB, J. ISAAC-RENTON, M. PETRIC and S. MAK. British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia

E3 Comparison of the RIDASCREEN EIA to Electron Microscopy for the Detection of Norovirus S. CASTRICIANO, M. CHERNESKY and M. SMIEJA. McMaster University and St. Joseph’s Healthcare, Hamilton, ON, Canada

E4 Evaluation of the QuickLab RSV test, a New Rapid Lateral Flow Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Antigen Detection Immunoassay R. SLINGER*, R. MILK, I. GABOURY, F. DIAZ-MITOMA. Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Eastern Ontario Regional Virology Lab, Chalmers Research Group

E5 Comparison of the QuickLab RSVTM Test and DFA for the Rapid Detection of Respiratory Syncycial Virus S. CASTRICIANO*, S. ALJOHANI, M. BOOTH, C. ROBINSON, M. MACPHERSON, R. SERVEDIO, A. CAMPANELLA and M. CHERNESKY. McMaster University and St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

P3 PROSPECTIVE STUDY USING THE ROTA/ADENO COMBI-STICKS AND ELECTRON MICROSCOPY FOR THE RAPID DETECTION OF ROTAVIRUS AND ADENOVIRUS. S. CASTRICIANO*, M. BOOTH, C. ROBINSON, M. MACPHERSON, R. SERVEDIO, A. CAMPANELLA and M. SMIEJA. McMaster University, and St. Joseph s Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario.

P4 Prevalence of Gastroenteritis Viruses in Individual Cases Compared to Outbreaks of Gastroenteritis in British Columbia L. McINTYRE, R. GILLIES, M-K. LEE, G. McNABB, A. McNABB, J. ISAAC-RENTON AND M. PETRIC. British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.


HIV/HPV
G1 Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus Mucosal Types in Saskatchewan A. SEVERINI¹*, J. SAGGAR¹, B. LIMMER¹, N. ANTONISHYN² AND G. HORSMAN²¹ Health Canada national Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB and ² Saskatchewan Provincial Laboratory, Regina, SK

G2 Prevalence of Human Papillomavirus Infection in Aboriginal Women of Nunavik, northern Quebec P. BRASSARD*^1,2, M. PROULX¹, F. COUTL^2,3,4, M. ROGER⁴ and E. FRANCO², 3. Department of Medicine¹, Epidemiology Biostatistics² and Oncology³, McGill University; and of Microbiology⁴, Centre Hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec.

G3 Testing for Oncogenic HPV in PAP Liquid Preservative Fluid (Tripath SurePath^TM) Correlates with Cytopathology and Digene Sampler Results J. KAPALA¹, M. CHERNESKY², J. PATEL¹, S. CHONG², D. JANG², K. BIERS¹, J. MAHONY²  Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories¹, Brampton and McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare², Hamilton, Ontario

G4 Development of a Microtiter Plate based Assay using a pLTR-GFP Reporter Gene System to Study the Effect of Mutations within the HIV-1 Long-Terminal Repeat (LTR) S. CLOUTIER, L. ARE, Z. CHEN, B. CALDER-KENT, K. COPELAND¹ and J. KIM*^{2 1}. Ottawa Health Research Institute, Ottawa Hospital-General Site, ²National Laboratory for HIV Reference Services (NLHRS), CIDPC, Ottawa, ON.

G5 Viral Load Testing (VLT) Patterns in Ontario (ON), 1996-2003 CAROL SWANTEE¹, ROBERT REMIS², MARGARET FEARON¹, CAROL MAJOR¹, STAN READ³, KEYI WU¹, ANITA RACHLIS², CHRIS JONES⁴. HIV Laboratory, Ontario Ministry of Health¹; University of Toronto², Toronto; Ontario Viral Load Evaluation Working Group³, Ontario HIV Treatment Network⁴


Herpes and Chlamydia
I1 Diagnostics of Beta-herpesviruses in Solid Organ Transplant Patients G.A. TIPPLES^1,2*, D. SAFRONETZ², D. KUMAR³, J. BALL¹ and A. HUMAR³. National Microbiology Laboratory, Health Canada, Winnipeg MB¹; Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB²; Transplant Infectious Diseases, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, ON³.

I2 Comparison of Five Commercially Available Extraction Kits for the Purification of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA from Whole Blood and Buffy Coat Samples A. PETRICH*, S. CHONG, X. SONG, K. LUINSTRA, D. JANG, M. SMIEJA, J. MAHONY, and M. CHERNESKY. St. Joseph's Healthcare, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON

I3 Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Liquid PAP Samples by the APTIMA Combo Assay D. Jang¹, J. Patel², J.Kapala², S.Chong¹, M.Chernesky¹. McMaster University¹, St. Joseph’s Healthcare, Hamilton and Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories2, Brampton, Ontario

I4 Serological Detection of Herpes simplex type 1 and 2 : A Toss of the Coin! D. COOK*, R. SHIVJI, P. TSANG, G. McNABB, M. KRAJDEN. British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, British Columbia

I5 Detection and Genotypic Analysis of Varicella-Zoster Virus by Real-time PCR G.A. TIPPLES^1,2*, D. SAFRONETZ², and M. GRAY¹. National Microbiology Laboratory, Health Canada, Winnipeg MB¹; Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MB²


Bioterrorism
P46 A Training Programme for Tier 1 laboratories for Recognition of the Bacterial Agents of Bioterrorism K. Bernard*, H. Artsob, L. Shuttleworth. Health Canada (HC) National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) Winnipeg, MB; K. Martin, Centres for Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPR) HC, Ottawa; M. Fearon PHL Toronto, Ontario Ministry of Health, Toronto, ON


SARS
A1 Detection by RT-PCR of the SARS Coronavirus and of Other Human Coronaviruses G. JOHNSON¹ , D. ADACHI¹, R. DRAKER¹, M. AYERS¹, P.J. TALBOT² and R. TELLIER¹. Hospital for Sick Children¹, Toronto, Ontario and INRS- Institut Armand Frappier², Laval, Quebec

A2 Quantitative TaqMan RT-PCR Test for SARS Corona virus (SARS-CoV) LIN¹,M.TRAYKOVA-ANDONOVA¹,M.DREBOT¹,M.GALLAD² AND A.ANDONOV¹. National Microbiology Laboratory ¹ Health Canada, Applied Biosystems².

A3 Diagnostic Tests for SARS Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) M. PETRIC*, A. MAK, S.H. GOH, K. KARUNAKARAN, R. CHOW, D. LAWRENCE R. SHIVJI, G. MC NABB, D. SKOWRONSKI, M. KRAJDEN, R. BRUNHAM. British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.

A4 Multicentre Evaluation of Seven SARS Coronavirus RT-PCR Assays. A. PETRICH*, J. MAHONY, S. CHONG, G. JOHNSON, L. LOUIE, A. LI, X. SONG, B. M. WILLEY, P. AKHAVAN, F. JAMIESON, T. MAZZULLI, R. TELLIER, M. SMIEJA, M. CHERNESKY, S. RICHARDSON and the ONTARIO LABORATORY WORKING GROUP FOR THE RAPID DIAGNOSIS OF EMERGING INFECTIONS. St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON; Sunnybrook and Women's College HSC, Toronto, ON; Ontario Ministry of Health, Etobicoke, ON; Toronto Medical Laboratories and Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON.

A5 Comparison of performance and cost of seven PCR assays for the detection of SARS Coronavirus RNA in clinical specimens J. MAHONY*, A. PETRICH, L. LOUIE, X. SONG, S. CHONG, M. SMIEJA, M. CHERNESKY, S. RICHARDSON and the Ontario SARS Laboratory Working Group.

A6 Prevalence of Antibodies (Ab) to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in Asymptomatic Healthcare Workers (HCW) W.L. GOLD*, B. MEDERSKI, D. ROSE, A. McGEER, M. MacARTHUR, B.M. WILLEY, R. CHUA, S. PONG-PORTER, Y. RZAYEV, P. TAMLIN, B. HENRY, K. GREEN, D.E. LOW, T. MAZZULLI. University Health Network, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Toronto Public Health, The Scarborough Hospital, North York General Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON


Mycology
B1 Anti-fungal Susceptibility Testing of Cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii Isolated from an Outbreak of Pulmonary Infection and Meningitis in British Columbia P. KIBSEY¹ * C. SAND² and R.RENNIE² . Victoria General Hospital¹, Victoria, B.C and National Centre for Mycology², Edmonton, Alberta

B2 Investigation of a Pseudo Outbreak of Aspergillus sp. Y. YASCHUK*, G. HARDY, D. LINT Division of Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, New Brunswick.

B3 Evaluation of Phenotypic Tests to Differentiate Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis C. SAND* and R. P. RENNIE. National Centre for Mycology, Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (Microbiology), Edmonton, Alberta.

B4 Evaluation of API 20C AUX (20CA), ID32C(32C) and the Vitek 2 (Vitek2) ID-YST: Three BioMerieux Yeast Identification Systems. B. GANDHI¹, L. COTE², SE. RICHARDSON³, U. BUNN⁴, F. JAMIESON⁴, T. STACEY-WORKS¹, D.YAMAMURA*^{1 1}MDS laboratories, Toronto, ON, ²Trillium Health Centre, Mississauga, ON, ³Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, ⁴Laboratories Branch, Ontario Ministry of Health, Toronto, ON.

B5 Update on the Canadian Antifungal Susceptibility Proficiency Testing Program C. SAND* and R. P. RENNIE. National Centre for Mycology, Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (Microbiology), Edmonton, Alberta


Mycobacteriology
J1 Efficacy of Identifying Mycobacterium species by Partial Sequencing of the 65 kilodalton Heat Shock Protein Gene (hsp65). K. ADIE, A. MCNABB*, M. AMOS, M. RODRIGUES AND J. ISAAC-RENTON. Laboratory Services, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.

J2 Direct Identification of Mycobacterium species from MB/BacT Alert 3D Bottles K. Adie*, A. McNabb, M. Rodrigues, M. Amos, and J. Isaac-Renton. Laboratory Services British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of British Columbia. Vancouver, British Columbia.

J3 Efficacy of Standard Laboratory Methods for Inactivation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis J. WOLFE*, T. BURDZ, K. BLACKWOOD, C. TURENNE, A. THOMPSON, M. SHARMA. National Reference Centre for Mycobacteriology, National Microbiology Laboratory, Health Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba

J4 Outbreak of Skin Nodules Associated with M. abscessus Pool Isolates C.SHANDRO¹, M.DYTOC², L.HONISH³, G.PREDY³. Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (Microbiology)¹, Dermatology Department, University of Alberta², Capital Health Authority³, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

J5 Reduction in TAT for Culture Results of Mycobacterium tuberculosis after Commissioning of BSL 3 Laboratory. J.A. REID*, Y. YASCHUK, P. BENNETT, G. HARDY. Saint John Regional Hospital, Saint John, NB


Bacteriology
L1 Superiority of Treponema pallidum Particle Agglutination Test Over Treponema pallidum Haemagglutination Test as a Confirmatory Test for Syphilis Diagnosis M.MORSHED^1,2, Y.SIMPSON^1*, I.YAN¹, Q.WONG¹, J. ISAAC-RENTON ^1,2 1. Laboratory Services, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) 2. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.

L2 Burkholderia pseudomallei - Our Laboratory's First Case E.E.CHESTNUT*, G.HARDY, Y.D.YASCHUK, J.A.REID and S.I. MCGUIRE. Department of Laboratory Medicine - Clinical Microbiology, Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation, Saint John, NB, Canada.

L3 DFA vs. Traditional Microscopy in Parasitology: is Fast Always Better? K. KOWALEWSKA-GROCHOWSKA, P. TOMLIN, S. COOK, E. BLEWETT, P. TILLEY, Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (Microbiology), Alberta.

L4 Use of the Uricult Dipslide as a Cost Effective Testing for Processing of Urines in Patients Suspected of Having Urinary Tract Infections I. KNIGHT*, J.M. BLONDEAU. Department of Clinical Microbiology, Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.

L5 The Impact of Rainfall on Community Waterborne Cryptosporidium Infections S. SHAY¹, M. KHAN¹, A. LI¹, C. ONG¹, J. ROSS², and J. ISAAC-RENTON*¹. ¹ BCCDC and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC. ²Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.

P22 Comparison of Smear and Culture for the Diagnosis of Yeast Vaginitis E. THOMAS, C. BARTH, M.V. KANCHANA. Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region, Regina, SK.

P25 Tularemia in Kosova 1999 - 2003 G. MULLIQI-OSMANI, A. KURTI, L. BERISHA, L. BEGOLLI, A. JAKA, X. JAKUPI AND L. RAKA. Microbiology Laboratory, National Institute of Public Health of Kosovo and Faculty of Medicine, University of Prishtin Prishtino Kosovo

P26 Invasive Group A Streptococcal Disease in Alberta, Canada 2000-2002 GREGORY J. TYRRELL*, BERTHA KRESS, MARGUERITE LOVGREN and KAREN GRIMSRUD. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Alberta, The National Centre for Streptococcus. The Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (Microbiology) and Alberta Health and Wellness, Edmonton, Alberta.


MRSA
D1 Differentiation of Phenotypes of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococci and Epidemiological Typing of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by Fourier Tansform Infrared Spectroscopy M.N. AMIALI*^1,2, M. R. MULVEY³, B. BERGER-BACHI⁴, A. A. ISMAIL¹, J. SEDMAN¹, A. E. SIMOR ⁵, J. ISMAIL⁶, 1. McGill IR Group, McGill Univ., Montreal, QC, Canada; 2. Quelab Laboratories Inc., Montreal, QC, Canada; 3. Health Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada; 4. Inst. Med. Microbial., Univ. Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; 5. Sunnybrook Women's Coll., Health Sciences Ctr., Toronto, ON, Canada; 6. Laboratorie de Sant publique du Quebec (LSPQ), Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada.

D2 Comparison of BBL^TM CHROMagar ^TM MRSA to Currently Used Media for the Detection of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. S. KIRCHER*, N. DICK, V. RITTER, K. STURM, N. VAZIRI, M. STANOJEVIC. Becton Dickinson Diagnostic Systems, Cockeysville, MD.

D3 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Infection in Horses and Horse Personnel 2000-2002 B. M. WILLEY*, D. E. LOW , M. ARCHAMBAULT, B. N. KREISWIRTH, A. MCGEER, J. PRESCOTT, H. DICK, A. ASHI-SULAIMAN, C. LAROCQUE, K. PIKE, S. WEESE. Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto; Univ. of Guelph, Guelph; Public Health Research Institute, Newark, NJ, USA; VITA-TECH, Markham, ON, Canada.

D4 Direct PCR Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from Brain-Heart Infusion (BHI)Broth Enrichment L. LOUIE, N.I. NG-HAING, C. WATT, AND A.E. SIMOR. Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre, and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

D5 Ward screening for MRSA: Optimization of sample collection ALFA MJ* ¹, HOBAN S, NAGY R, GKM HARDING1, Microbiology, St. Boniface Hospital, and Dept. of Medical Microbiology¹, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB.

D6 Susceptibility Testing Methods to Distinguish Methicillin-Resistant (MRSA) from Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) S. M. POUTENAN, P. AKHAVAN, S. HO, S. PONG-PORTER, Y. RZAYEV, M. LUM, A. SHIGAYEVA, C. LAROCQUE, K. PIKE, T. MAZZULLI, D. E. LOW, B. M. WILLEY. Dept. of Microbiology, TML and Mount Sinai Hospital, Univ. of Toronto, Toronto, ON

P42 Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infections in Companion Animals B. M. WILLEY*, H. L. N. DICK, M. T. OUGHTON, B. KREISWIRTH, D. E. LOW. Department of Microbiology, TML and Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON; Vita-Tech Veterinary Laboratories, Markham, ON; and the Public Health Research Institute, New Jersey, US


Antibiotics
F1 Effect of Multiple Dose Treatments With Telithromycin (T) in Comparison to Azithromycin (A), Moxifloxacin (M) and Ciprofloxacin (C) on Normal Fecal Flora of Healthy Subjects D.J. HOBAN*, L. PALATNICK, G. G. ZHANEL, D. SITAR, I. SEQUIN, D. COTE and G. GARBER. University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba and Ottawa General Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

F2 Macrolide-Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in Canada: Correlation with Azithromycin Use ROSS DAVIDSON*, CHARLES CHAN, GARY DOERN, and GEORGE ZHANEL. QE II HSC, Halifax; Toronto Health Network, Toronto; Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City; and HSC, Winnipeg

F3 Prevalence and Mechanisms of Erythromycin (Ery) resistance in Group A Streptococcus (GAS) and Group B Streptococcus (GBS): Implications for Reporting Susceptibility Results DELGATY KL*, DESJARDINS M, RAMOTAR K, SEETERAM C, B. TOYE. Division of Microbiology, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada

F4 In Vitro Activity of Several Agents against Recent Blood Isolates of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci (CNST) from Greater Toronto Area Hospitals. B. M. WILLEY*, A. SHIGAYEVA, S. PONG-PORTER, Y. RZAYEV, K. GREEN, D. E. LOW. Hospital, Toronto, Ontario

F5 Recovery of Cephalosporin Resistant E. coli and Salmonella From Pork, Beef, and Chicken Marketed in Nova Scotia K.R. FORWARD*, K. M. MATHESON, M. HILTZ, H. MUSGRAVE, C. POPPE, Dept of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Queen Elizabeth II HSC, Dalhousie U, Halifax, Nova Scotia; Health Canada, Guelph, Ontario

P31 Incidence of Penicillin (Pen), Doxycycline (Doxy), Macrolide (Mac) and Fluoroquinolone (FQ) Resistance (RES) in Streptococcus pneumoniae (SPN) in Canada (CAN) between 1997-2003 L. PALATNICK, B. WESHNOWESKI, T. BELLYOU, K. KARLOWSKY, E. RIMMER, R.VASHISHT, M. DECORBY*, G.G. ZHANEL and D.J. HOBAN. University of Manitoba and Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

P32 Interaction of Bismuth Subsalicylate with Foods to Produce Soluble Bismuth Complexes with Antimicrobial Activity against Clostridium difficile D. E. MAHONY¹*, A. WOODS¹, M. D. EELMAN², N. BURFORD², and S. J. O. V. VAN ZANTEN³. Departments of Microbiology and Immunology¹, Chemistry² and Medicine³, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

P33 Occurrence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Pathogens Isolated from Blood Cultures: Report from the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program (Canada 1997-2002) R. RENNIE¹, C. BROSNIKOFF¹*, S. SHOKOPLES¹, R. JONES², K. GORDON². University of Alberta Hospitals ¹, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, The JONES Group/JMI Laboratories², North Liberty Iowa, USA

P34 Occurrence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Pathogens Isolated from Respiratory Tract Infections: Report from the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program (Canada 1997 to 2002) R. RENNIE¹*, C. BROSNIKOFF¹, S. SHOKOPLES¹, R. JONES², D. JOHNSON². University of Alberta Hospitals¹, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, The JONES Group/JMI Laboratories², North Liberty, Iowa.

P35 Pharmacodynamic Target (PDT) Attainment Analysis of Levofloxacin (Levo) 500mg, 750mg and 1000mg Once Daily in Plasma (P) and Epithelial Lining Fluid (ELF) of Hospitalized Patients with Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP) A.M. NOREDDIN*, T. MARRAS, C. CHAN, K.A. RODVOLD, D.J. HOBAN and G.G. ZHANEL. University of Manitoba and Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba; University Health Network and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; University of Illinois, Chicago.

P36 Fluoroquinolone (FQ) Pharmacodynamic Indices (PI) Based on Genetically Derived Break Points (BP) for S. pneumoniae (SPN) A.M. NOREDDIN*, H.J. SMITH, K.N. SCHUREK, K.A. NICHOL, D.J. HOBAN and G.G. ZHANEL. Health Sciences Centre and University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

P37 In vitro Activity of Iclaprim (formerly AR-100) Against Lower Gastrointestinal Tract Isolates D.J. HOBAN*, T.L. HISANAGA, M.R. DECORBY, N.M. LAING, K.A. NICHOL, L.P. PALATNICK, S. HAWSER*, K. ISLAM and G.G. ZHANEL. Health Sciences Centre and University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada and Arpida Ltd., Munchenstein, Switzerland

P38 Correlation of PFGE profile and antibiotic susceptibility profile for MRSA strains. ALFA M.J.1*, DEGAGNE P, NAGY R, HARDING GKM1, Microbiology, St. Boniface Hospital Dept. of Medical Microbiology1, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB

P39 Suboptimal Clinical Response to Ciprofloxacin (CIP) in Patients with Salmonella serotype Typhi (ST) and serotype Paratyphi (SP) with Reduced Susceptibility to Ciprofloxacin R. SLINGER *, M. DESJARDINS, A. MCCARTHY, K. RAMOTAR , P. JESSAMINE, B. TOYE. The Ottawa Hospital, Childrens Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada

P40 Prevalence and Resistance Patterns in Group B Streptococcus from Prenatal Vaginal/rectal Cultures from 7 MDS Community Laboratories in Ontario D. YAMAMURA*, T. STACEY-WORKS, A. SARABIA. MDS Laboratories, Ontario

P41 In Vitro Comparative Activity of Old and Newer Agents against Recent Clinical Isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (SA) from Canada and the US B. M. WILLEY*, S. PONG-PORTER, Y. RZAYEV, A. SHIGAYEVA, B. N. KREISWIRTH, K. GREEN, D. E. LOW. Toronto Invasive Bacterial Diseases Network, Canadian Bacterial Surveillance Network and Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario

P43 Occurrence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Pathogens Isolated from Urinary Tract Infections: Report from the SENTRY Antimicrobial Surveillance Program (Canada 1997-2002) R. RENNIE¹, C. BROSNIKOFF¹, S. SHOKOPLES¹*, R. JONES², G. MOET² University of Alberta Hospitals¹, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, The JONES Group/JMI Laboratories², North Liberty, Iowa, USA

P44 Susceptibility (S) Pattern of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) from Vancouver and the Fraser Valley (VFV). A. NEMATALLAH¹, E. THOMAS^1,3, D. PURYCH^1,4, S. ROMAN⁵, C. SHERLOCK^1,6, D. ROSCOE^1,2*. University of British Columbia¹, Vancouver Hospital², Children's and Women's Hospital³, Fraser Health and BC Biomedical Laboratories⁴, MDS Metro Laboratories⁵, St. Paul's Hospital⁶, B.C.


Enterics
K1 Emergence of a Multidrug Resistant Salmonella Paratyphi B var. Java Harboring the Salmonella Genomic Island-1 (SGI1) in Canada M. R. MULVEY, R. AHMED, L-K. NG, and the CANADIAN PUBLIC HEALTH LABORATORY NETWORK (CPHLN)

K2 An E. coli 0157:H7 Outbreak Associated with Consumption of Haggis B.IEBIN², A.ISON¹, A.I², M.OMBOS², P.OLESZCZUK², R.HMED³, F.AMIESON²*. Hamilton Regional Public Health Laboratory¹, MOHLTC Clinical and Environmental Microbiology Laboratory², CPHL, Laboratories Branch, MOHLTC, Toronto, ON, National Laboratory for Enteric Pathogens³, Winnipeg, MB

K3 A Novel Serovar for Shigella dysenteriae Isolates in Canada P. L. MELITO¹*, D. L. WOODWARD¹, J. MUNRO¹, H. TABOR¹, J. WALSH¹, R. FOSTER¹, P. TILLEY², J. ISAAC-RENTON³, J. ISMAIL⁴ and L. K. NG¹. National Laboratory for Enteric Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB¹. Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (Microbiology), Calgary, Alta². BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, B.C.³ Institut National de Sant Publique du Quebec, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC⁴

K4 Rapid Identification of E. coli O: 157 by Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) Mass Spectrometry. ABDULRAZAQ A. H. SOKORO*^1,2, M. AHMED², D. OLSON³, A. ROSS³, R. KITZUL¹, E. NAGLE¹, G. HORSMAN1, D. C. LEHOTAY^1,2. Provincial Laboratory¹, Saskatchewan Health, Regina, SK., Department of Pathology², College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK., Mass Spectrometry Lab³, Plant Biotechnology Institute, NRC, Saskatoon, SK.

K5 The Utilization of PFGE Analysis in Tracking E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada L. Chui¹, L. Honish², D. Leedell¹, Q. Jiang¹. Provincial Laboratory for Public Health¹, (Microbiology), Edmonton, Alberta; Capital Health- Public Health Division, Environmental Health Services², Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

P24 Case Study Involving Salmonella Typhi B. MUMMERY*, J. RAE. G. HARDY, Y. YASCHUK. Department of Laboratory Medicine - Clinical Microbiology, Atlantic Health Sciences Corporation, Saint John, New Brunswick


Continuous Quality Improvement
H1 Provision of Reference and Quality Assurance Services for Malaria Laboratory Diagnosis in Quebec E. KOKOSKIN*, L. TRUDEL, L. CoILOTTE, P. TURCOTTE, B.J.WARD, T.W. GYORKOS, J.D. MACLEAN. McGill University Centre for Tropical Diseases, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec; Laboratoire de Sante Publique du Quebec, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec.

H2 Profiling Microbiology Laboratories in Canada H. RICHARDSON*, C.A. FLEMING, L. MELNYCK and D. CHURCH. IPQA Microbiology Working Group, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta

H3 Laboratory Practice with CSF Specimens in Ontario C.A. FLEMING, D. ZOUTMAN, H. RICHARDSON, and the MICROBIOLOGY COMMITTEE. Quality Management Program—Laboratory Services, Toronto, Ontario

H4 Prolonged maintenance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae for EQA samples M. A. NOBLE, C. LEE*, M. MCCAW, S. NIKIFORUK. MPT-Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, UBC, Vancouver, BC

H5 Validation of the Direct Plate Method Described in NCCLS Document M40: Quality Control of Microbiological Transport Devices C. BROSNIKOFF*, R. RENNIE. Medical Microbiology, University of Alberta Hospitals, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

P45 Quality Assurance (QA) of Direct Gram Stain (GS) Interpretation: A Self-Assessment Program D. ROSCOE, A. KWONG, F. LEE, E. BRYCE, P. DOYLE, M. NOBLE. Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Center, Vancouver, B.C.


Student Posters Visit Winners
SP1 A Community Cluster of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) J. FULLER*, P. TANG, R. SKRATSTINS, J. DOWNEY, G. BROUKHANSKI, A. LI, S. RICHARDSON, M. FEARON, and F. JAMIESON. University of Toronto, Toronto East General Hospital, and Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Toronto, Ontario.

SP2 The Complete Genome Sequence of the Bovine Torovirus: The First Complete Torovirus Genome Sequence (WINNER OF THE 2003 CACMID AWARD) R. DRAKER* ¹ , R. TELLIER¹ AND M. PETRIC². Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children and Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto¹ , Toronto, Ontario and British Columbia Center for Disease Control², Vancouver, BC.

SP3 Phylogenetic Analysis of Norovirus Infections in the Province of Quebec Between June 2000 and March 2003. F. CHANO, R. DION, B. SERHIR, M. COUILLARD and H. CHAREST. Laboratoire de sante publique du Quebec(LSPQ)/INSPQ, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec.

SP 4 Development of a Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Testing Algorithm Based Upon Screening Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) Signal-Cutoff Ratios Davis IRC, Lee SHS, Forward KR, Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre and Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS

SP5 Gene Silencing by RNA interference of Green Fluorescent Protein and HIV Tat using an LTR-GFP Reporter System S. CLOUTIER*, L. ARE, Z. CHEN, B. CALDER-KENT and J. KIM. National Laboratory for HIV Reference Services (NHLRS), CIDPC, Ottawa ON.

SP6 Concordance of HPV-16 Viral Load Estimated with Real-Time PCR Assays against Different Genomic Areas in Women with Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions J. FONTAINE*, C. HANKINS, K. POURREAUX, J. LEFEVRE, H. VOYER, THE CANADIAN WOMEN HIV STUDY GROUP, F. COUTLE. Department of Microbiology and Immunologie, University of Montreal, and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec

SP7 Polymorphism of HPV-33 and HPV-35 is associated with persistence of HPV infection. (WINNER OF THE 2003 CCM AWARD) S.GAGNON*, C.HANKINS, C.TREMBLAY, K.POURREAUX, P.FOREST, The Canadian Women HIV Study Group, F.COUTLE. Centre Hospitalier de l Universite de Montreal, and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McGill University.

SP8 Q Fever: Report of 9 Cases in Southeastern New Brunswick L. LEBLANC¹*, R. GARCEAU², L. THIBAULT². Universite de Sherbrooke¹, QC ² Dr. GL Dumont², Moncton, NB (Winner of the 2003 CAMM Award)

SP9 Human Pulmonary Dirofilariasis in Canada DD LAGROTTERIA, CH LEE, MA CROWTHER, G LAROYE, AS PEREGRINE, St. Joseph's Healthcare, McMaster, University, Hamilton, ON

SP10 Typhoid Fever Outbreak in the Punjab Identified in British Columbia: a Clinical and Microbiological Evaluation, January-May 2003. L. M. HOANG, D. PURYCH, A. PACCAGNELLA, L. MCDOUGAL, M. AQUINO, A. NEMATALLAH, M. FYFE, J. ISAAC-RENTON. BCCDC, Vancouver, B.C.

SP11 Prevalence et Facteurs de Risques des Infections Sexuellement Transmises (ISTs) chez des Prostitutes Malgaches V. HARIJAONA¹, R. MORISSET², A.RASAMINDRAKOTROKA¹, O.AGBABA², M RAVAOARINORO². d'Antananarivo, Madagascar (MD) ² Ctre de recherche, CHUM - HDM, Montreal, QC, Canada

SP12 Clinical outcome with oral linezolid and rifampin following recurrent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia despite prolonged vancomycin treatment JD SCHWALM, CH LEE. McMaster University, Hamilton. St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON.

SP13 Activity of Liposome-encapsulated Gentamicin against Pseudomomas aeruginosa (PA) Isolated from Pulmonary Infected Cystic Fibrosis Patient CLEMENT MUGABE, ABDELWAHAB OMRI, Department of Chemistry/Biochemistry, Laurentian University, Sudbury ON, P3E 2C6, Canada

SP14 COMPARAISON DES PROFILS DE RESISTANCE DES SOUCHES DE C. JEJUNI ISOLES CHEZ L'HUMAIN ET LE POULET S. LEVESQUE, S. MICHAUD. Departement de Microbiologie et Infectiologie, Faculte de Medecine de l'Universite de Sherbrooke.

SP15 Antibiotic Activity Against Ampicillin(A), Ciprofloxacin(C) Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole (TS) and Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) Outpatient Urinary Isolates (OUI) of Escherichia coli  G. G. ZHANEL, T.L. HISANAGA*, M.R. DECORBY, N.M. LAING, K.A. NICHOL, L.P. PALATNICK, A. NOREDDIN, J. JOHNSON, G.K.M. HARDING, the NAUTICA Group and D. J. HOBAN. University of Manitoba and Health Sciences Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and International Health Management Associates (IHMA), Chicago, USA

SP16 Comparative study of cytotoxin assay, enzyme immunoassays and PCR for detection of Clostridium difficile toxin in the stool specimens SCHWALM JD, WILCOX L, PETRICH A, LUINSTRA K, CASTRICIANO S, KIM CL, LEE CH. McMaster University, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON.

SP17 Throat swab culture for Group A streptococcus: Are we missing anything? S.M. AL-JOHANI, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Science Hospitals, Hamilton, Ontario

SP18 Evaluation of a Rapid Immunochromatographic Assay for Initial Detection of Plasmodium falciparum S. ALJOHANI*, R. McQUEEN, W. MacQUEEN, J. McGOWAN, E. KOKOSKIN, B. J. WARD, A. PETRICH, M. SMIEJA.

SP19 Surface Associated Streptococcal Phosphoglycerate Kinase Binds Actin C. D. BURNHAM*, S. E. SHOKOPLES, G. J. TYRRELL.

SP20 Association between Bloody Diarrhea and a Plasmid in Campylobacter Jejuni Gastroenteritis J. AHMED-BENTLEY*, K. T. KOWALEWSKA-GROCHOWSKA, D. TRACZ, D. TAYLOR, A. GIBREEL. University of Alberta, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta

P20 A Comparison of Supplemented BACTEC Peds Plus/F Media to Conventional Broth Media for Culture of Sterile Body Fluids (WINNER OF THE 2003 AMMO AWARD) J. FULLER*, D. C. RICHARDSON, P. TANG, M. ROSCOE, and S. E. RICHARDSON. Division of Microbiology, Department of Pediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.


Transport Media
P23 Comparison of a new Copan Amies Transport Swab M40 Transystem with Starplex transport swab for the recovery of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. J. KRAMER, S. HOLLIDAY, M.V. KANCHANA, E. THOMAS. Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, Regina, SK.

P47 Evaluation of Three Commercial Transport Media Compared to an In-House Transport Media G. Blackwell; F. Jamieson; M. Fearon; L. Burton; K. Rohomon; G. Brienza. Ministry of Health and Long Term Care Etobicoke, Canada

P48 Evaluation of Urinary Transport Systems in Laboratory and Clinical Settings. LUBA STOAKES, M. A. JOHN, D-L AYOTTE, M. RAMOS, Z. HUSSSAIN. London Health Science Centre, London, Ontario

P49 Evaluation of Two Swab Transport Systems by the NCCLS Direct Swabbing/Roll Plate Method L. Stoakes, A. Covacich, V. Fitzgerald, G. Peters, M. John, Z. Hussain. London Health Science Centre, London, Ontario


Methods and Instrumentation
P1 Bacterial Identification by 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing: One Year's Retrospective L. Janz*, A. McNabb, D. Chan, N. Kopp, C. Shaw, G. Stephens and J. Isaac-Renton. Laboratory Services, BC Centre for Disease Control and Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia

P2 Performance of Rubella IgM Enzyme Immunoassays G.A. TIPPLES¹*, R. HAMKAR², T. MOHKTARI-AZAD², M. GRAY¹, J. BALL¹, C. HEAD³ AND S. RATNAM³. National Microbiology Laboratory, Health Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada¹; Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran²; Newfoundland Public Health Laboratory, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada³

P5 The Genevision System : Rapid Multiple Food Pathogen Detection by Real-time PCR. D. PLANTE*, E. UBALIJORO, M. HUBER, A. EB?ERT, L. BLANCHARD, G. TAYLOR, M.-O. RATTE A. PADHAM, Y. LEMAY and C. ARCHAMBAULT. Warnex Research inc., Laval, Quebec

P6 Evaluation of fbAFLP as a Method for Subtyping Haemophilus Influenzae N. SPERLIE*, R. MCDONALD, E. NAGLE, N. ANTONISHYN and G. HORSMAN. Provincial Laboratory, Regina, SK

P7 Investigation of a Food-Borne Outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium by Fluorescence-based Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism (fbAFLP) and Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). C. SCHACHTEL*¹, R. MCDONALD¹, L. CHUI², W. LAU³, L. CROWE³, R. AHMED⁴, N. ANTONISHYN¹, AND G. HORSMAN¹. Provincial Laboratory, Regina, SK¹, Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (Microbiology), Edmonton, AB², Calgary Health Region, Calgary, AB³, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB⁴.

P8 Detection of Tropheryma whipplei from Clinical Materials Using Real Time PCR CINDY K. MUNRO, KATHY A. BERNARD, SHAUN TYLER. National Microbiology Laboratory, Health Canada, Winnipeg MB

P9 Real-time detection of clinically relevant bacterial pathogens: description and preliminary performances of a new system C. M?ARD1*, M. DESLAURIERS1, A. HULETSKY2, G. STEWART1, C. CHOQUET1, and J.P. GAYRAL1. Infectious Diagnostic (I.D.I.) Inc.1, Infectious Diseases Research Center of Laval University2, Quebec City, Quebec.

P10 Comparison of Manual and Automated DNA extraction by MagNA Pure LC Instrument. L. CHUI*, J. KAKULPHIMP and Molecular Diagnostic Team. Provincial Laboratory for Public Health (Microbiology). Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

P11 Utilization of a Chicken Model to produce Polycloncal Antibodies against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. L. CHUI¹*, E. CHOW², AND J. SIM³. Provincial Laboratory for Public Health¹ (Microbiology), Edmonton, Alberta, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development², and Agricultural Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Alberta ³, Edmonton, Alberta

P12 A Membrane Test For Legionella Species S.W. CHAN, K.A. BORCHARDT*, and JANE H. HALL. Center for Biomedical Laboratory Science, San Francisco State University and BioMed Diagnostics, Inc., San Jose, California

P13 Comparison of Gen-Probe Group A Streptococcus Direct Test with Culture for the Diagnosis of Streptococcal Pharyngitis S. HOLLIDAY, J. RICHARDSON, D. BRUNDAGE, M. KANCHANA, E. THOMAS. Regina Health District, Regina, SK.

P14 Use of Mast BacteruritestTM Test Strip As Inoculator For Qualitative And Quantitative Quality Control Of Bacteriological Culture Media J. S. Thompson^1,2, D. S. Thompson ¹ , Sh. Blakaj³, L. Berisha³, G. Mulliqi-Osmani³, and H. Richardson⁴. Thompson Consulting¹, Kirkfield, ON, Med-Ox Diagnostics Inc², Ottawa, ON , Microbiology Laboratory, National Institute of Public Health of Kosov?sup>3, Prishtino Kosovo and Quality Management Program Laboratory Services⁴, Toronto, ON

P17 Screening of serum and urine from Zimbabwe patients with community acquired pneumonia M. NDLOVU¹ , L. GWANZURA¹, S. HOUSTON², R. RENNIE³, S. SHOKOPLES³*, AND A KABANI⁴. University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe, Africa¹, Division of Infectious Diseases², Medical Microbiology Laboratory³, University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, Canada⁴

P18 Evaluation of the Vitek-2 for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Enterococcus spp. B.M. Willey, and A.E. Simor. L. LOUIE, R. GHAZALA, O. PANGAN, B. TOYE, B.M. WILLEY, AND A.E. SIMOR. Sunnybrook and Women’s College Health Sciences Centre, Ottawa Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

P19 An Intercontinental Salmonella Oranienburg Outbreak Investigation with a Novel Phage Typing Scheme R. AHMED*, G. SOULE, W. RABASH¹, W. DEMCZUK, C. CLARK, A. PACCAGNELLA², L CHUI³, B. CIEBIN⁴. National Microbiology Laboratory, Health Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.¹ Robert Koch-Institut, Wernigerode, Germany. ² B. C. Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, B. C. ³Provincial Laboratory of Public Health, Edmonton, AB. ⁴Central Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Toronto, On.

P21 Rapid Identification of Haemophilus Influenzae serotypes by Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) Mass Spectrometry ABDULRAZAQ A. H. SOKORO*^1,2, M. AHMED², D. J. OLSON³, R. KITZUL¹, E. NAGLE1, G. HORSMAN¹, A. R. S. ROSS³, D. C. LEHOTAY^{1, 2}


Laboratory Surveillance
P27 Infection control guidelines for respiratory care of patients with airborne infections E.A. BRYCE*¹, N. COLE¹, R. THIESSEN², J. MACK², P. DOYLE¹. Division of Medical Microbiology¹ and Infection Control and Respiratory Services², General Hospital, Vancouver, BC

P28 Automated syndromic surveillance and infection control management: A framework for patient management and early outbreak detection. E.A. BRYCE*, LISA HARRIS, S. SCHARF. Division of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia

P29 EVALUATION DE L'OBSERVANCE AUX MESURES D'HYGIENE DES MAINS SUITE L'IMPLANTATION DU GEL ANTISEPTIQUE ALCOOLIS DANS UN CENTRE TERTIAIRE DE SOINS AIGUS. S. MICHAUD*, D. DUCLOS, M. TROTTIER, P. GAGNON ST-GELAIS, V. L'ECUYER, H. CHOUINARD-ROUSSEAU, G. DION, N. MORENCY, V. ROUX, O. FAVREAU. Faculte de Medecine de l'Universite de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec.

P30 Direct Molecular Typing Clarifies Transmission of Neisseria gonorrhoeae in a New Brunswick Region. R. GARCEAU¹*, L. THIBAULT¹, L. LEBLANC², M. DOUCET³, M. LEBLANC³. H. r. Dr G.L. Dumont¹; Universite de Sherbrooke², Qc; Sante publique du N.B^.3; National Microbiology Laboratory⁴, Winnipeg, MB.


Late Breakers
LB1 Influenza A Pandemic Surveillance in Saskatchewan C. SCHACHTEL*¹, N. ANTONISHYN¹, R. MCDONALD¹, K. BRANDT AND G. HORSMAN¹. Provincial Laboratory, Regina, SK

LB2 Differential Identification of Methicillin-Resistant (MRSA) and-Sensitive Staphylococci (MSSA) bacteria by Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time-of-Flight (MALDI-TOF) Mass Spectrometry. A. A. H. SOKORO*^{1, 2}, M. AHMED², D. J. OLSON³, R. KITZUL¹, E. NAGLE¹, G. HORSMAN¹, A. R. S. ROSS³, D. C. LEHOTAY^{1, 2}. Provincial Laboratory, Saskatchewan Health, Regina, SK. ²Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK. ³Mass Spectrometry Lab, Plant Biotechnology Institute, NRC, Saskatoon, SK.

LB3 Emergence of a Community Acquired MRSA Clone Harbouring the Panton-Valentine Leukocidin Toxin in Saskatchewan M. MULVEY*¹, L. MACDOUGALL², B. CHOLIN³, D. SPREITZER¹, T. DU¹, R. MCDONALD⁴, E. NAGLE⁴, G. HORSMAN⁴, M. FIDYK³, AND S. WOODS⁵. National Microbiology Laboratory, Winnipeg, MB¹; BC Centre for Disease Control, Vancouver, BC²; Kelsey Trail Health Region, Melfort, SK³, Provincial Laboratory, Regina, SK⁴, and Northern Inter-Tribal Heath Authority, Prince Albert, SK⁵. LB4 Clinical Utility of Broth Media for Culture of Sterile Sites. P DALEY¹, S AL-JOHANI¹, CH LEE ^1,2. ¹McMaster University, ²Hamilton Regional Laboratory Medicine, Hamilton, Ontario