Asma Iqbal, Ph.D.
Research Associate
J.D. MacLean Centre for Tropical Diseases,
Division of Infectious Diseases,
Department of Medical Microbiology
McGill University Health Centre
1001 Blvd. Décarie | Glen Site Block E,
Montréal, QC
H4A 3J1
E-mail: asma.iqbal@mail.mcgill.ca
Research Interests:
My research focuses on molecular characterization of species, genotypes and sub-genotypes of coccidian parasites, especially Cryptosporidium, Giardia and Toxoplasma gondii in food, water and environmental samples. This leads to an understanding of the possible sources and transmission routes of the parasites. Involved in method development and have special interest in developing aptamers. Aptamer are single-stranded oligonucleotides synthesized through a in-vitro selection and amplification process that involves systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichments (SELEX); high diversity and specificity with target molecule
Keywords: microbiology, parasitology, food and water-borne pathogens, zoonotic transmission, epidemiology
Recent Publications:
Stacey A. Elmore, Larissa L. Bailey, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Asma Iqbal, Chunlei Su, Brent R. Dixon, Ray T. Alisauskas, Alvin A. Gajadhar, Emily J. Jenkins. Using a multi-scale occupancy approach to determine Toxoplasma gondii detection probability: an application and guide for field sampling. International Journal of Parasitology, 2016; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2016.04.003
Karine Thivierge, Asma Iqbal, Brent Dixon, Réjean Dion, Benoît Levesque, Philippe Cantin, Lyne Cédilotte, Momar Ndao, Jean-François Proulx, and Cedric P Yansouni. Cryptosporidium hominis is a newly recognized pathogen in the Arctic Region of Nunavik, Canada: Molecular characterization of an outbreak. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2016; doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0004534
Asma Iqbal, Mahmoud Labib, Darija Muharemagic, Syed Sattar, Brent R. Dixon and Maxim V. Berezovski. Detection of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts on fresh produce using DNA aptamers. PLoS ONE, 2015; 10(9): e0137455. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0137455
Asma Iqbal, David M. Goldfarb, Robert Slinger, and Brent R.Dixon. Prevalence and molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia duodenalis in diarrhoeic patients in the Qikiqtani Region, Nunavut, Canada. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 2015; 74: 27713. doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v74.27713
Asma Iqbal, Sim BLH, Brent R. Dixon, Johari Surin, Yvonne AL Lim. Molecular epidemiology of Cryptosporidium in HIV/AIDS patients in Malaysia. Tropical Biomedicine, 2015; 32(2): 1-13