UNews - Tim McAllister

Researchers earn RDAR support to find viable solutions to mitigate Bovine Respiratory Disease

trevor.kenney — Fri, 08 Jul 2022 20:49:19 +0000

Researchers in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Southern Alberta Genome Science Centre (SAGSC) and its bioinformatics core are collaborating with scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) to find viable solutions to mitigate Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) — the most prominent feedlot cattle disease in North America — that is responsible for an estimated financial burden of $3 billion annually.

BRD is responsible for an estimated financial burden of $3 billion annually.

The supported project is led by ULethbridge associate professor Dr. Athan Zovoilis and Dr. Tim McAllister, a principal research scientist at AAFC. Zovoilis, SAGSC director and Canada Research Chair in RNA Bioinformatics and Genomics, Dr. Angeliki Pantazi (SAGSC scientific officer) and Dr. Eric Merzetti (BioNet program manager) are working with McAllister’s team and other scientists at AAFC to advance a genomic-based diagnostic pipeline for BRD, based on Alberta herd-specific pathogens, that will increase the precision of antimicrobial use in the provincial cattle industry.

“To date, no tool exists for the identification of BRD pathogens on a broad scale for Alberta cattle producers and there is a need for province-wide architecture to detect and characterize pathogens of interest in BRD — both in terms of virulence and antimicrobial resistance,” says Zovoilis. “Our labs at SAGSC and AAFC in Lethbridge have already sequenced, analyzed, and characterized a significant number of BRD bacterial isolates.”

Alberta is home to more than 18,000 cattle producers with an estimated 4.5 million cattle, making up 40.4 per cent of Canada’s herd (estimated July 2020). With the highest cattle population in the country and a heavy reliance of Alberta’s economy on exported beef, cattle mortalities pose a significant economic and financial hardship to the province. BRD is responsible for 65-80 per cent of total feedlot morbidities and 45-75 per cent of mortalities.

BRD pathogens are varied with potential origins in multiple bacterial families. Proper treatment of BRD requires pathogen identification. To further add to the difficulty of treatment, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is of significant concern in these cattle and many of the identified BRD pathogens house resistance to traditional antimicrobial agents used in livestock settings.

“We will take input data from samples sequenced by our next generation sequencing platforms and be able to produce detailed information on BRD pathogens, including relevant AMR,” says Zovoilis. “This data will then allow for the precision use of antimicrobial agents, providing better outcomes for cattle and less likelihood of AMR development in the present bacteria.”

The project, A Comprehensive Sequencing and Bioinformatics analysis Pipeline for Bovine Respiratory Disease Pathogens in Alberta Beef Cattle, is supported by a $352,000 Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR) grant. RDAR and Genome Alberta, with the Government of Canada and Alberta Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Economic Development, announced $5.1 million in funding through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) for agriculture genomics projects earlier this month.

“Genomics research has practical real-world application that is contributing to building a more sustainable agriculture sector in Canada,” says Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. “From developing new tools, improving the quality of food we eat, to breeding more resilient crops — our genomic researchers are the heart of advancing science and innovation so that our farmers in Alberta have the tools they need to be successful.”

Wieden headlines talk

trevor.kenney — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:18:23 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Dr. HJ Wieden is one of four experts who will present a Cafe Scientifique talk at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery on Thursday, Mar. 21.

Wieden will be joined by Dr. Eric Brown of McMaster ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Dr. Frank Schweizer of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Manitoba and Dr. Tim McAllister as they discuss Antibiotic use in Agricultural Practices: Implications on the Health of Canadians.

In areas such as southern Alberta, the issue of antibiotic resistance can have a huge impact not only on human health but on industries such as agriculture.

In order to ensure the production of safe food products, the agricultural industry has utilized antibiotic protection of animals for many years. While this ensures quality food control, there are implications for the health of Canadians especially with respect to the efficiency of current antibiotic therapies.

Attend this talk to hear about current research being conducted in Canada. Areas of focus will include: how antibiotics work; pharmaceutical research necessary to develop new antibiotics; testing of antimicrobials; and the agricultural use of antibiotics in livestock populations.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the talk scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m. Please RSVP due to limited seating to penny.dagnone@uleth.ca or 403-382-7198.

The presentation will also be available remotely at the following link: http://uleth.adobeconnect.com/cafe-scientifique/. The first 100 people to log in can view the Cafe remotely.

Fitzpatrick, Iunctus honoured with ASTech awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:29:46 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Dr. Dennis Fitzpatrick (water and environmental sciences) and local geomatics technology company, Iunctus Geomatics, received ASTech awards at a gala celebration of science and technology held recently in Edmonton.

Fitzpatrick and Iunctus were among 36 leading individuals and organizations nominated for 2010 Alberta Science and Technology (ASTech) awards. The honourees represent the province's brightest minds and most innovative enterprises, demonstrating the abundance of outstanding activity occurring in Alberta's science and technology community.

The Alberta Science and Technology (ASTech) Leadership Foundation was created to celebrate and promote the achievements of Alberta's scientific and technological communities. The yearly awards are handed out in four categories, including Health Solutions, Biological Sciences, Technology and Energy and the Environment. Fitzpatrick and Iunctus Geomatics were both nominated in the Technology class.

In addition, Dr. David Naylor of the U of L's Department of Physics and Astronomy, earned a nomination in the Technology class, and Dr. Tim McAllister, a U of L adjunct professor in biological sciences, earned a nomination in the Biological Sciences classification.

UNews - Tim McAllister

Researchers earn RDAR support to find viable solutions to mitigate Bovine Respiratory Disease

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Wieden headlines talk

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Fitzpatrick, Iunctus honoured with ASTech awards

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