CUBE Publications and Media
Announcements
2024-05-30
CUBE was part of a successful grant application to Genome Canada’s Genomics Applications Partnership Program (GAPP). Read the full press release here.
Publications
Environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 for outbreak detection in hospital: A single centre prospective study
Hania Siddiqui, Alexandra M.A. Hicks, Aaron Hinz, Prachi Ray, Jennie Johnstone, Derek R. MacFadden, Jason A. Moggridge, Michael Fralick. Journal of Clinical Virology Plus. 2024.
Predicting COVID-19 cases across a large university campus using complementary built environment and wastewater surveillance approaches
Aaron Hinz, Jason A Moggridge, Hanna Ke, Alexandra M. A. Hicks, Evgueni Doukhanine, Michael Fralick, Laura Hug, Derek MacFadden, Hebah Mejbel, Caroline Nott, Ashley Raudanskis, Nisha Thampi, Alex Wong, Rees Kassen. JAMMI. 2024. Volume 9, Number 4.
SARS-CoV-2 burden on the floor was associated with COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in two acute care hospitals: A prospective cohort study
Michael Fralick, Jason A. Moggridge, Makenna Wiebe, Lucas Castellani, Allison McGeer, Bryan Feenstra, Aaron Hinz, Alexandra M.A. Hicks, Laura A. Hug, Alex Wong, Tamara Van Bakel, Sawith Abeygunawardena, Tasha Burhunduli, Hebah S. Mejbel, Rees Kassen, Nisha Thampi, Derek MacFadden, Caroline Nott. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology. 2024. 1-5.
Environmental surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 for COVID-19 outbreak detection in hospital: a single-centre prospective study
Prachi Ray, Bryant Lim, Katarina Zorcic, Jennie Johnstone, Aaron Hinz, Alexandra M.A. Hicks, Alex Wong, Derek R. MacFadden, Caroline Nott, Lucas Castellani, Rees Kassen, Michael Fralick. Infection Prevention in Practice. 2024. 6(2).
Detection of SARS-CoV-2 in schools using built environment testing in Ottawa, Canada: A multi-facility prospective surveillance study
Nisha Thampi, Tasha Burhunduli, Jamie Strain, Ashley Raudanskis, Jason A. Moggridge, Aaron Hinz, Evgueni Doukhanine, Lucas Castellani, Rees Kassen, Janine McCready, Caroline Nott, Alex Wong, Michael Fralick, Derek R. MacFadden. PLoS One. 2024. 19(5):e0300397.
Detection of COVID-19 outbreaks in hospitals using built environment testing for SARS-CoV-2
Lucas Castellani, Derek MacFadden, Jason Moggridge, Bryan Feenstra, Makenna Wiebe, Sawith Abey, Evgueni Doukhanine, Michael Fralick, Aaron Hinz, Laura Hug, Nisha Thampi, Alex Wong, Rees Kassen, Caroline Nott. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 2023. Volume 10, Issue Supplement 2.
The spatial and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 from the built environment of COVID-19 patient rooms: A multicentre prospective study
Michael Fralick, Madison Burella, Aaron Hinz, Hebah S. Mejbel, David S. Guttman, Lydia Xing, Jason Moggridge, John Lapp, Alex Wong, Caroline Nott, Nicole Harris-Linton, Rees Kassen, Derek R. MacFadden. PLoS One. 2023. 18(3):e0282489.
Detection of COVID-19 outbreaks using built environment testing for SARS-CoV-2
Michael Fralick, Caroline Nott, Jason Moggridge, Lucas Castellani, Ashley Raudanskis, David S. Guttman, Aaron Hinz, Nisha Thampi, Alex Wong, Doug Manuel, Allison McGeer, Evgueni Doukhanine, Hebah Mejbel, Veronica Zanichelli, Madison Burella, Sylva L. Donaldson, Pauline W. Wang, Rees Kassen, Derek R. MacFadden. NEJM Evidence. 2023. 2(3):EVIDoa2200203.
Beyond wastewater surveillance: refining environmental pathogen detection in the built environment
Sawith Abeygunawardena, Rees Kassen, Michael Fralick. CMAJ. 2022. 194(46).
SARS-CoV-2 detection from the built environment and wastewater and its use for hospital surveillance
Aaron Hinz, Lydia Xing, Evgueni Doukhanine, Laura A. Hug, Rees Kassen, Banu Ormeci, Richard J. Kibbee, Alex Wong, Derek MacFadden, Caroline Nott. FACETS. 2022. 7: 82-97.
Media
Scratching the Surface of Environmental Surveillance through the CUBE Initiative
Dr. Rees Kassen shares discoveries made, lessons learned, and future directions for CUBE.
Several CoVaRR-Net Members Pivot to Avian Flu Research
The CUBE team prepares to pilot environmental surface swabbing for H5N1 and other respiratory viruses across human and animal healthcare settings.
From surveillance to control: U of T researchers are tackling the AMR problem from all angles
University of Toronto's Emerging & Pandemic Infectious Consortium highlights upcoming CUBE work in the neonatal intensive care unit at Mount Sinai Hospital.
COVID on the Floor Linked to Outbreaks on Two Hospital Wards
Dr. Caroline Nott discusses our recent study looking at the association of the viral burden of SARS-CoV-2 on floors with COVID-19 outbreaks in two acute-care hospitals.
Floor swabbing could help prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in hospitals
Caroline Nott and Michael Fralick on correlation between floor swab results and human COVID-19 case burden and outbreaks in two Ontario hospitals.
Rounds Table Podcast Episode 59 – The Floor is COVID-19
Dr. John Fralick sits down with Dr. Mike Fralick to chat about a project he recently published in NEJM Evidence entitled, “Detection of Covid-19 Outbreaks Using Built Environment Testing for SARS-CoV-2” – a study designed to explore how to best surveil for COVID-19 in congregate living settings!
Rees Kassen interview on 1310 News
Rees chats about outbreak prediction and pathogen surveillance
Floor swabs at LTC homes early predictor of COVID outbreaks, study finds
CBC News Ottawa talks with our team about research conducted in long-term care homes across Ontario.
New study shows it’s possible to detect a COVID-19 outbreak before it happens
Stu Mills interviews Rees Kassen about floor swabbing, the CUBE project, and our recent work in long-term care homes.
Sault-area nursing homes involved in COVID-19 study
CTV News talks with Mike Fralick about our research in long-term care homes
PHO Rounds
PHO Rounds presentation by CUBE: Evaluating the use of Environmental Swabs for the Detection and Surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in School and Congregate Settings
CUBE @ TEDx UGuelph
Michael Fralick presents research findings from the CUBE project for a general audience.
Looking for COVID? Try the floor
The CBC interviews Rees Kassen about COVID-19 and the CUBE project.
Swabbing floors to detect COVID-19 could be a useful indicator of the disease’s spread
Aaron Hinz and Rees Kassen in The Conversation.
CUBE Lecture Presented at the Library of Congress
Rees Kassen and Caroline Nott present CUBE research in their Library of Congress lecture.