Seminar Series 2021 – Dr. Catherine Carillo

• In-person event

• Contact
• biology@cunet.carleton.ca

Title: Food Microbiology at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in the Post-Genomic Era

Description:  Next-generation sequencing technologies can now render a bacterial genome much faster and at a significantly lower cost than previously possible, leading to routine use in diagnostic laboratories worldwide. Sequence data derived from foodborne pathogens can be used to determine if strains are related (e.g. to a cluster of illnesses, persistent contamination), or to infer strain phenotypes (e.g. virulence, antimicrobial resistance, serotype) based on identification of genetic markers. Bacterial genome information can also be exploited for the development and validation of routine test methods used in food microbiology diagnostic laboratories. This presentation will provide an overview of the impacts of genomic technologies on CFIA’s food testing programs, along with examples of how genomic information can be leveraged for research aimed at improving methods for detection of pathogenic organisms in foods.