Molecular Genetic & Biochemical

Eastern equine encephalitis is a rare mosquito-transmitted human illness caused by the Togavirus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEv). It is closely related to Western- and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis viruses. In North America, EEEv occurs mainly in the coastal region of eastern Canada and along the Atlantic and Gulf coast in the US. Natural transmission takes […]

West Nile Virus (WNv) is a flavivirus that in infected humans causes head- and body aches, fever, skin rash and swollen lymph nodes. More serious effects occur if the virus crosses the blood-brain barrier. This event leads to development of encephalomyelitis and possibly to death. Mosquitoes that feed on infected blood from birds may become […]

This test provides a low-level identification of a pure fungal culture by sequencing of portions of the nuclear ribosomal gene, specifically the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region or other gene regions deemed most suitable based on preliminary culture and microscopic screening. Although it is not always possible to recover fungi in pure culture in order […]

Blastomyces is a genus of dimorphic fungi that can cause a disease called blastomycosis in humans and other animals. Species of Blastomyces exist in the environment in a filamentous form and can produce infectious spores that can be inhaled. Once inside the body, the spores transform into yeast-like cells that can cause localized or disseminated […]

The fungi Histoplasma capsulatum and Cryptococcus neoformans are two agents of serious disease in otherwise healthy, immunologically normal humans and animals. Both agents are endemic in Canada, and both occur in the droppings of certain bird species in addition to other materials. Additionally, the bacterium Chlamydophila psittaci is the causative agent of psittacosis and is […]