Applied & Discovery Research

Dr. Harvey Artsob
Director, Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens
Professor Adjunct,  Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba

Degrees:  BSc 1965, McGill University; MSc. 1968, MacDonald College; PhD 1973, McGill University

Tel: 204- 789-2134
Fax:204- 789-2082
Email:  Harvey _ Artsob@ phac-aspc.gc.ca

Research Interests:

Diagnostic procedures to detect zoonotic disease agents; surveillance for the occurrence of zoonotic disease pathogens in Canada; development of an international laboratory response to dengue virus and a Canadian response to agents of potential use in the event of a bioterrorist attack.

Selected Publications:

1.  Fauvel M, Artsob H, Davignon L, Chagnon A. (1979) First recorded clinical cases of  California encephalitis in children in Canada Can J Pub Hlth 70:48-49.

2.  Gu HX, Spence L, Artsob H, Chia WK, Th’ng C, Lampotang V. (1984) Serological evidence of infection with California serogroup viruses (family Bunyaviridae) in residents of  Long Hua, suburb of Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. Trans Roy Soc Trop Med Hyg  8:780-781.

3.  Artsob H, Spence L, Bishai F, Kurjanczyk L, Sekla L.( 1987) Amplified ELISA for the detection of western equine encephalitis virus from mosquitoes in Manitoba, Canada.  J Virol Methods 18:233-242.

 4. Artsob H. 1989. Powassan encephalitis in Monath TP (ed) The Arboviruses: Epidemiology and     Ecology. Volume IV Boca Raton, pp 29-50.

5. Barker IK, Surgeoner GA, Artsob H, McEwen SA, Elliott LA, Campbell GD, Robinson JT. (1992) Distribution of the Lyme disease vector, Ixodes dammini (Acari:Ixodidae) and isolation of Borrelia burgdorferi in Ontario, Canada. J Med Entomol 29:1011-1022.

6. Artsob H, 1995. Emerging zoonotic diseases. Can J Infect Dis 6:208-209.

7. Monroe MC, Morzunov SP, Johnson AM, Bowen ND, Artsob H, Yates T, Peters CJ, Rollin PE, Ksiazek TG, Nichol ST. (1999) Genetic diversity and distribution of Peromyscus-borne hantaviruses in North America. Emerging Infect Dis 5:75-86.

8. Artsob H.(2000) Arthropod-borne disease in Canada: a clinician’s perspective from the ‘cold zone’. Paediatr Child Health 5:206-212.

9. Drebot MA, Gavrilovskaya I, Mackow ER, Chen Z, Lindsay R, Johnson A,  Nichol ST, Artsob H.  (2001)  Genetic and serotypic characterization of Sin Nombre-like  viruses in Canadian Peromyscus maniculatus mice.  Virus Research 75:75-86.

10. Ford-Jones EL, Artsob H. (2002) Arboviruses in Rudolph CD, Rudolph AM, (eds) Rudolph’s Pediatrics, McGraw-Hill Medical Publishing Division, pp 1017-1020.

11. Poutanen SM, Low DE, Henry B, Finkelstein S, Rose D, Green K, Tellier R, Draker R, Adachi D, Ayers M, Chan AK, Skowronski DM, Salit I, Simor AE, Slutsky AS, Doyle PW, Krajden M, Petric M, Brunham RC, McGeer AJ and the National Microbiology Laboratory Canada (includes H Artsob) and the Canadian SARS study team.(2003) Identification of severe acute respiratory syndrome in Canada. New Eng J Med 348:1995-2005.

12.  Drebot M, Lindsay R, Barker IK, Buck PA, Fearon M, Hunter F, Sockett P, Artsob H. (2003) West Nile virus surveillance and diagnostics: a Canadian perspective. Can J Infect Dis 14: 105-114.  

13.  Dolce P, Belanger M-J, Tumanowicx, Gauthier CP, Jutras P, Masse R, Montpetit C, Bernatchez H, McColl D, Artsob H.(2003) Coxiella burnetii seroprevalence of shepherds and their flocks in the Lower Saint-Lawrence River region of Quebec, Canada. Can J Infect Dis 14:97-102.

14. Pepperell C, Rau N, Krajden S, Kern R, Humar A, Mederski B, Simor A, Low DE, McGeer A, Mazzulli T, Burton J, Jaigobin C, Fearon M, Artsob H, Drebot MA, Halliday W, Brunton J. (2003) West Nile virus infection in 2002: morbidity and mortality in Patients admitted to hospital  in southcentral Ontario. CMAJ 168:1399-1405.

15  Artsob H, Lindsay R, Drebot M. (2003) Laboratory based surveillance for West Nile virus activity in Canada. Canadian Journal of Medical Laboratory Science 65:86-89.

16. Sejvar J, Bancroft E, Winthrop K, Bettinger J, Bajani M, Bragg S, Shutt K, Kaiser R, Marano N, Popovic T, Tappero J, Ashford D, Mascola L, Vugia D, Perkins B, Rosenstein N and the Eco-Challenge Investigation Team (includes H Artsob).( 2003) Leptospirosis in “Ecochallenge” athletes, Malaysian Borneo, 2000. Emerging Infect Dis 9:702-07.

17. Marra MA, Jones SJM, Astell CR, Holt RA, Brooks-Wilson A, Yaron S, Butterfield YSN, Khattra J, Asano JK, Barber SA, Chan SY, Cloutier A, Coughlin SM, Freeman D, Girn N, Griffith OL, Leach SR, Mayo M, McDonald H, Montgomery SB, Pandoh PK, Petrescu AS, Robertson AG, Schein JE, Siddiqui A, Smailus DE, Stott JM, Yang GS, Plummer F, Andonov A, Artsob H, Bastien N, Bernard K, Booth TF, Bowness D, Czub M, Drebot M, Fernando L, Flick R, Garbutt M, Gray M, Grolla A, Jones S, Feldmann H, Meyers A, Kabani A, Li Y, Normand S, Stroher U, Tipples GA, Tyler S, Vogrig R, Ward D, Watson B, Brunham RC, Krajden M, Petric M, Skowronski DM, Upton C, Roper RL. (2003) The genome sequence of the SARS-associated coronavirus. Science 300:1399-1404. 

18. Lindsay RL, Barker IK, Nayar G, Drebot MA, Calvin S, Scammell C, Sachvie C, Scammell- La Fleur, Dibernardo A, Andonova M, Artsob H. (2003) Field evaluation of an antigen Capture assay to detect West Nile virus in dead corvids. Emerging Infect Dis 9:1406-1410.

19. Artsob H. (2003) West Nile virus: can exotic arthropod-borne agents make permanent  residence  in Canada? Stanier Institute -  Linking Hygiene to Health. Can J Infect Dis 14:52.

20. Artsob H. (2004). Control strategies for zoonotic diseases: implementation of generic measures in Report of the WHO/FAO/OIE joint consultation on emerging zoonotic diseases 3-5 May 2004- Geneva, Switzerland, pg 36.         

21. Artsob H. (2004). Emerging and nonemerging arboviral diseases and the veterinary/public health interface. Can Vet J 45:1021-1022.

22. Artsob H, Campbell, Conlan W, Dunn P, Fry S, George F, Graham A, Groves D, Hays T  Peat B, Ridgway A, Stokes R, Thompson L, Wagener S. (2004) Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines Health Canada H39-4/49-2004E, ISBN 0-662-37722-2, pp 1-113.

23. Kumar D, Drebot MA, Wong SJ, Lim G, Artsob H, Buck P, Humar A.( 2004) A       seroprevalence study of West Nile virus infection in solid organ transplant recipients. American  Journal of Transplantation 4:1883-888.

24. Stephen C, Artsob H, Bowie WR, Drebot M, Fraser E, Leighton T, Morshed M, Ong C, Patrick D. (2004) Perspectives on emerging zoonotic disease research and capacity building in Canada. Can J Infect Dis and Med Micro 15:339-344/ Can Vet J 46:65-73, 2005.

 25.  Safronetz D, Lindsay R, Dibernardo A, Hjelle B, Xiao R, Artsob H, Drebot M. (2005) A preliminary study of the patterns of Sin Nombre viral infection and shedding in naturally infected deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases  5: 127-132.

26. Drebot MA, Artsob H. (2005).  West Nile virus.  Can Fam Physician 51:1094 – 1099.

27. Groseth A, Jones S, Artsob H, Feldmann H. (2005) Hemorrhagic fever viruses as biological weapons in  Fong IW, Alibek K, (eds) Bioterrorism and Infectious Agents: A New Dilemma for the 21st Century, Springer Science + Business Media, Inc, pp167-190.

28. Robinson J, Spady DW, Prasad E, McColl D, Artsob H.(2005) Bartonella seropositivity in children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura. BMC Infectious Diseases Apr 5; 5(1):21 P published on line.

29. Artsob H. (2005) Emergent and re-emergent infections in Rochon M, Goldner M (eds) The Status of Hygiene. Stanier Institute/Institut Stanier, pp29-45.