Abstract
The incidence of Lyme disease has increased in many regions of Canada in recent years, including in Ottawa, Ontario. To date there has been limited active tick surveillance in the region. To estimate both the distribution and density of Ixodes scapularis ticks in the city of Ottawa, and the infection rates of ticks with Borrelia burgdorferi (that causes Lyme disease) and other tick-borne pathogens. Between June and October 2017, tick surveillance was conducted by drag sampling at 23 sites in Ottawa municipal parks, recreational trails and forests. Blacklegged ticks were tested for B. burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum using quantitative polymerase chain reaction protocols. I. scapularis ticks were found in 16 of the 23 sites (70%). Recreational trails, conservation areas/forests and the provincial park within the city of Ottawa had significantly higher tick densities than municipal parks (p<0.01). Of the 194 adult and 26 nymphal I. scapularis tested, prevalence of infection was 29.5% for B. burgdorferi, 0.45% for B. miyamotoi and 0.91% for A. phagocytophilum. Almost 30% of I. scapularis ticks tested in suburban and rural areas of the city of Ottawa were infected with B. burgdorferi, known to cause Lyme disease. Other types of infection, known to cause anaplasmosis and tick-borne relapsing fever, were also detected, although were very rare. Conducting active tick surveillance at the local level may help to inform risk assessment and public health actions.
Highlights
The blacklegged tick is a vector for several pathogens that cause zoonotic diseases, including Lyme disease [1,2]
Almost 30% of I. scapularis ticks tested in suburban and rural areas of the city of Ottawa were infected with B. burgdorferi, known to cause Lyme disease
Mean tick density differed by type of site, with significantly higher tick density in the recreational trail, conservation area/forest and provincial park sites with a mean (SD) of 4.1 (4.5) compared to the municipal parks mean (SD) of 0.3 (0.5) (p
Summary
The blacklegged tick ( known as deer tick, Ixodes scapularis) is a vector for several pathogens that cause zoonotic diseases, including Lyme disease [1,2]. Recent northward spread of I. scapularis has been observed in association with ongoing climate and environmental changes, posing an increasing risk to public health [6]. Eastern Ontario has been identified as a region of recent and ongoing tick and Lyme disease expansion [7,8], where environmental factors such as temperature, forest type and microhabitat conditions have been associated with tick occurrence [4,8,9,10]. The city of Ottawa has become climatically suitable for the establishment of I. scapularis populations [6]. The incidence of Lyme disease has increased in many regions of Canada in recent years, including in Ottawa, Ontario. To date there has been limited active tick surveillance in the region.
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