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Carleton University

Genomic Approaches for the Characterization of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (E. coli)

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Foodborne illness in Canada and worldwide results in unnecessary suffering, long-term disability, and loss of life. Shiga-toxigenic E. coli (STEC) are a significant cause of foodborne illness in Canada, and consequently, it is of high priority to improve detection, isolation, and characterization methods to mitigate their impact on public health. While current methods generally provide highly accurate strain characterization at an unprecedented resolution, they have focused on O157 STEC, and occasionally face limitations that may have significant implications on risk assessment. There is a need to shift towards methodologies that target STEC of all serotypes, as STEC risk assessment criteria transition to virulence factors such as Shiga toxins (Stx). To support this, a comprehensive Stx database was curated to be used with PoreSippR: a rapid method for the characterization of STEC using Nanopore sequencing. Finally, an STEC benchmark dataset was curated for use in the development of novel STEC methods.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
Level thesis:degree_level
Master's
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Biology
Grantor dc:publisher
Carleton University
Year dc:date.issued
2023

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Clarke, Sarah Margaret

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • Copyright © 2023 the author(s). Theses may be used for non-commercial research, educational, or related academic purposes only. Such uses include personal study, distribution to students, research and scholarship. Theses may only be shared by linking to the Carleton University Institutional Repository and no part may be copied without proper attribution to the author; no part may be used for commercial purposes directly or indirectly via a for-profit platform; no adaptation or derivative works are permitted without consent from the copyright owner.
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:carleton.scholaris.ca:20.500.14718/40905

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Carleton University
Base URL
carleton.scholaris.ca/server/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Clarke, Sarah Margaret. Genomic Approaches for the Characterization of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (E. coli). Master's thesis, Carleton University, 2023. https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14718/40905