Food Virology Laboratory

Research Scientist

Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Health Canada

Research Technical Support: Oksana Mykytczuk, Jennifer Harlow

Research Activity

In the food virology lab at the Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Health Canada, our work is mainly focused on the food borne hepatitis A virus and noroviruses. We develop detection methods for isolating these viruses from food samples. This is a challenging area of research because these viruses do not multiply in foods and they have a low infectious dose, necessitating detection of fewer than 10 particles per food sample. We also participate in surveillance programs designed to track enteric viruses in Canada. The aim of these studies is to understand the epidemiology of food borne viral infections and their spread through the environment and the population. Finally, we study the stability and disinfection of these viruses under a wide variety of conditions. We use this data to advise on appropriate safety measures to prevent viral spread. In an extension of this research, we are investigating the molecular characteristics of noroviruses that lead to environmental stability under various stresses.

Current Research Activity

1. Develop rapid methods for the detection of noroviruses from foods.
2. Trace reservoirs for the transmission of enteric viruses in foods.
3. Evaluate the viral safety of shellfish growing waters.

Food Virology Reference Centre for Canada

The FVRC for Canada is housed within our Food Virology laboratory, in the Microbiology Research Division. For more details on the FVRC, visit: Food Virology Reference Centre for Canada.

Food & Environmental Virology Network

The Food and Environmental Virology Network aims to support communication and collaboration between food and environmental virology laboratories. For more details on FEVN, visit: Food and Environmental Virology Network.

Academic Association / Collaboration

1. Centre for Research on Environmental Microbiology, University of Ottawa
2. Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, Laval University

Recent Publications

Fallahi, S. & Mattison, K. Persistence of the murine norovirus on agriculturally relevant surfaces. (submitted)

Lamhoujeb, S., Avery, B., Banerjee, S., Bin Kingombe, C., Blais, B., Dixon, B., Gill, A., Carrillo, C., Pagotto, F., Maal-Bared, R., Reid, A., Simard, M. & Mattison, K. Foodborne pathogen detection in Canadian Arctic food animals. (in preparation)

Harlow, J., Hughes, A., Oudit, D. & Mattison, K. Steaming guidelines to inactivate hepatitis A virus in shellfish. Food and Environmental Virology (in press).

Mattison, K., Corneau, N., Berg, I., Bosch, A., Duizer, E., Guttierez, I., L'Homme, Y., Lucero, Y., Luo, Z., Martyres, A., Myrmel, M., O'Ryan, M., Pagotto, F., Sano, D., Svraka, S., Urzua, U. & Bidawid, S. Microarray for the confirmation and typing of norovirus RT-PCR products. Journal of Virological Methods (in press).

Mattison, K., Harlow, J., Morton, V., Cook, A., Pollari, F., Bidawid, S. & Farber, J. M. Detection of human enteric viruses in ready-to-eat packaged leafy greens. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 16, 1815-1817 (2010).

Lamhoujeb, S., Cook, A., Pollari, F. & Mattison, K. Molecular characterization of rotaviruses from Canadian swine and cattle. Archives of Virology, 155, 1127-1137 (2010).

Mattison, K., Sebunya, T. K., Noliwe, L., Shukla, A. & Bidawid, S. Molecular detection and characterization of noroviruses associated with gastroenteritis in children in Botswana. Journal of Medical Virology, 82, 321-324 (2010).

Girard, M., Ngazoa, S., Mattison, K. & Jean, J. Attachment of noroviruses to stainless steel and their inactivation using household disinfectants. Journal of Food Protection, 73, 400-404 (2010).

Morton, V., Jean, J., Farber, J. M. & Mattison, K. Detection of noroviruses in ready-to-eat foods using carbohydrate-coated magnetic beads. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 75, 4641-4643 (2009).

Pagotto, F., Corneau, N., Mattison, K. & Bidawid, S. Development of a DNA microarray for the simultaneous detection and genotyping of noroviruses. Journal of Food Protection, 71, 1434-1441 (2008).

Papafragkou, E., Plante, M., Mattison, K., Bidawid, S., Karthikeyan, K., Farber, J. M. & Jaykus, L-A. Rapid and sensitive detection of hepatitis A virus in representative food matrices. Journal of Virological Methods, 147, 177-87 (2008).

Mattison, K., Shukla, A., Cook, A., Pollari, F., Friendship, R., Kelton, D., Bidawid, S. & Farber, J. M. Human noroviruses in swine and cattle. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 13, 1184-1188 (2007).

Mattison, K., Karthikeyan, K., Abebe, M., Malik, N., Sattar, S. A., Farber, J. M. & Bidawid, S. Survival of calicivirus on foods and on surfaces: experiments with feline calicivirus as a surrogate for norovirus. Journal of Food Protection, 70, 500-503 (2007).

Other Related Links

1. Norovirus
2. Norovirus
3. Hepatitis A and E virus
4. Hepatitis A
5. Hepatitis E
6. Compendium volume 5