Kirsten Mattison

Adjunct Professor

Degrees:

B.Sc. University of British Columbia (1998)
Ph.D., Oregon Health and Science University, USA (2003)

Contact info:

Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Immunology

Office: Bureau of Microbial Hazards
Sir FG Banting Research Centre
PL 2204E
Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9

Phone: (613) 957-0887
Fax: 613-941-0280
E-mail: Kirsten.Mattison@hc-sc.gc.ca

Bureau of Microbial Hazards

Research Interests

In the food virology lab at the Bureau of Microbial Hazards, Health Canada, our work is mainly focused on the food borne hepatitis A virus and noroviruses. We develop detection methods for isolating these viruses from food samples. This is a challenging area of research because these viruses do not multiply in foods and they have a low infectious dose, necessitating detection of fewer than 10 particles per food sample. We also participate in surveillance programs designed to track enteric viruses in Canada. The aim of these studies is to understand the epidemiology of food borne viral infections and their spread through the environment and the population. Finally, we study the stability and disinfection of these viruses under a wide variety of conditions. We use this data to advise on appropriate safety measures to prevent viral spread. In an extension of this research, we are investigating the molecular characteristics of noroviruses that lead to environmental stability under various stresses.

Select Publications:

Harlow, J., Hughes, A., Oudit, D. & Mattison, K. Steaming guidelines to inactivate hepatitis A virus in shellfish. (in preparation)
Mattison, K., Corneau, N., Berg, I., Bosch, A., Duizer, E., Guttierez, I., L’Homme, Y., Lucero, Y., Luo, Z., Martyres, A., Myrmel, M., O’Ryan, M., Pagotto, F., Sano, D., Svraka, S., Urzua, U.
& Bidawid, S. Microarray for the confirmation and typing of norovirus RT-PCR products. (in preparation)
Mattison, K., Grudeski, E., Auk, B., Brassard, J., Charest, H., Dust, K., Gubbay, J., Hatchette, T. F., Houde, A., Jean, J., Jones,T., Lee, B. E., Mamiya, H., McDonald, R., Mykytczuk, O., Pang, X.,
Petrich, A., Plante, D., Ritchie, G., Wong, J. & Booth, T. F. Performance assessment for norovirus real-time RT-PCR detection protocols. (submitted)
Mattison, K., Harlow, J., Morton, V., Cook, A., Pollari, F., Bidawid, S. & Farber, J. M. Detection of human enteric viruses in ready-to-eat packaged leafy greens. Emerging Infectious Diseases (in press)
Lamhoujeb, S., Cook, A., Pollari, F. & Mattison, K. Molecular characterization of rotaviruses from Canadian swine and cattle. Archives of Virology, 155, 1127-1137 (2010)
Mattison, K., Sebunya, T. K., Noliwe, L., Shukla, A. & Bidawid, S. Molecular detection and characterization of noroviruses associated with gastroenteritis in children in Botswana. Journal of Medical Virology, 82, 321-324 (2010)
Girard, M., Ngazoa, S., Mattison, K. & Jean, J. Attachment of noroviruses to stainless steel and their inactivation using household disinfectants. Journal of Food Protection, 73, 400-404 (2010)
Mattison, K., Grudeski, E., Auk, B., Charest, H., Drews, S. J., Fritzinger, A., Gregoricus, N., Hayward, S., Houde, A., Lee, B., Pang, X., Wong, J., Booth, T. F. & Vinjé, J. An interlaboratory
comparison of two norovirus genotyping protocols: Region C and Region D. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 47, 3927-3932 (2009)
Morton, V., Jean, J., Farber, J. M. & Mattison, K. Detection of noroviruses in ready-to-eat foods using carbohydrate-coated magnetic beads. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 75, 4641-4643 (2009).
Mattison, K., Brassard, J., Gagné, M.-J., Ward, P., Houde, A., Lessard, L., Simard, C., Shukla, A., Pagotto, F., Jones, T.& Trottier, Y.-L. The feline calicivirus as a sample process control for the detection of RNA viruses from food and water. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 132, 73-77 (2009)
Papafragkou, E., Plante, M., Mattison, K., Bidawid, S., Karthikeyan, K., Farber, J. M. & Jaykus, L-A. Rapid and sensitive detection of hepatitis A virus in representative food matrices. Journal of Virological Methods, 147, 177-87 (2008)
Pagotto, F., Corneau, N., Mattison, K. & Bidawid, S. Development of a DNA microarray for the simultaneous detection and genotyping of noroviruses. Journal of Food Protection, 71, 1434-1441 (2008)
Mattison, K., Cook, A., Pollari, F., Friendship, R., Bidawid, S. & Farber, J. M. Human and porcine noroviruses isolated from healthy swine in Canada. (submitted).
Mattison, K., Karthikeyan, K., Abebe, M., Malik, N., Sattar, S. A., Farber, J. M. & Bidawid, S. Survival of calicivirus on foods and on surfaces: experiments with feline calicivirus as a surrogate for norovirus. Journal of Food Protection, xx, xxxx-xxxx (in press)(2007).
Mattison, K., Wilbur, J. S., So, M. & Brennan, R. G. Structure of FitAB from Neisseria gonorrhoeae bound to DNA reveals a tetramer of toxin-antitoxin heterodimers containing PIN domains and ribbon-helix-helix motifs. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 281, 37942-37951 (2006).
Wilbur, J. S., Chivers, P. T., Mattison, K., Potter, L., Brennan, R. G. & So, M. Neisseria gonorrhoeae FitA interacts with FitB to bind DNA through its ribbon-helix-helix motif. Biochemistry, 44, 12515-12524 (2005).
Maris, A. E., Walthers, D., Mattison, K., Byers, N. & Kenney, L. J. The response regulator OmpR oligomerizes via b -sheets to form head-to-head dimmers. Journal of Molecular Biology, 350, 843-856 (2005).
Mattison, K., Oropeza, R. & Kenney, L. J. The linker region plays an important role in inter-domain communication of the response regulator OmpR. Journal of Biological Chemistry.277, 32714-32721 (2002).
Mattison, K., & Kenney, L. J. Phosphorylation alters the interaction of the response regulator OmpR with its sensor kinase EnvZ. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 277, 11143-11148 (2002).
Mattison, K., Oropeza, R., Byers, N., & Kenney, L. J. OmpR mutant T83I reveals occupancy of all ompC sites (C1-C2-C3) are required for transcriptional activation. Journal of Molecular Biology315, 497-511 (2002).
Streblow, D. N., Soderberg-Naucler, C., Vieira, J., Smith, P., Wakabayashi, E., Ruchti, F., Mattison, K., Altshuler, Y., & Nelson, J. A. The human cytomegalovirus chemokine receptor US28 mediates vascular smooth muscle cell migration. Cell99, 511-520 (1999).
McCormick, C., Leduc, Y., Martindale, D., Mattison, K., Esford, L. E., Dyer, A. P., & Tufaro, F. The putative tumour suppressor EXT1 alters the expression of cell-surface heparan sulfate. Nature Genetics 19, 158-161 (1998).