Abstract

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Ecological Niche Modeling of Cryptococcus Gattii in British Columbia, Canada
Track: Health and Human Services
Author(s): Sunny Mak, Brian Klinkenberg, Murray Fyfe, Karen Bartlett

Cryptococcus gattii unexpectedly emerged on Vancouver Island in 1999 causing human and animal illness. More than 150 human and 270 animal cases have now been reported. Prior to this discovery, this microscopic fungal organism was limited to tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world in association with eucalyptus trees as the environmental reservoir. Environmental sampling for C. gattii in southwestern British Columbia (BC) has isolated the organism from soil, air, water, and native vegetation. GIS and Genetic Algorithm for Rule-set Prediction (GARP) were used to model the ecological niche of C. gattii. The ecological niche of a species can be defined as the combination of ecological conditions within which it is able to maintain populations without immigration. The results of these analyses are visualized in GIS, and shared with public health to prioritize environmental sampling and increase public and physician awareness of cryptococcal disease in BC.

Sunny Mak
BC Centre for Disease Control
Epidemiology Services
655 West 12th Avenue
Vancouver , BC V5Z-4R4
CA
Phone: (604) 775-1019
E-mail: sunny.mak@bccdc.ca

Brian Klinkenberg
University of British Columbia
Department of Geography
1984 West Mall
Vancouver , British Columbia V6T-1Z2
CA
Phone: (604) 822-2663
E-mail: brian@geog.ubc.ca

Murray Fyfe
Vancouver Island Health Authority
Public and Population Health Observatory
1900 Richmond Ave.
Unit 430
Victoria , British Columbia V8R4R2
CA
Phone: (250) 519-7066
E-mail: murray.fyfe@viha.ca

Karen Bartlett
University of British Columbia
School of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
2206 East Mall
3rd Floor
Vancouver , British Columbia V6T-1Z3
CA
Phone: (604) 822-9595
E-mail: kbartlet@interchange.ubc.ca