Abstract
In eastern North America, including Canada, Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and transmitted to humans by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis. The last decade has seen a growing incidence of Lyme disease in Canada, following the northward range expansion of I. scapularis tick populations from endemic areas in eastern United States. This may be attributable to movement of the many hosts that they parasitize, including songbirds, deer and small mammals. In this study, we wanted to test the effect of spatial, temporal and ecological variables, on blacklegged tick density and infection rates, near the northern limit of their distribution in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. We found an effect of both proportion of forested areas and distance to roads, on density of I. scapularis ticks and prevalence of infection by B. burgdorferi. We also found an effect of both sampling year and ordinal sampling data on prevalence of infection by B. burgdorferi. In six adjacent sites showing evidence of reproducing I. scapularis populations, we found that forest composition and structure influenced density of I. scapularis ticks. Our results suggest that blacklegged tick density and infection rate in Canada may be influenced by a variety of factors.
Highlights
In eastern North America, including Canada, Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and transmitted to humans by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis
The disease is highly prevalent in eastern North America, where blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) infected by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto may efficiently transmit the infection to humans and domestic animals[1,2,3]
Following quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) screening assays targeting B. burgdorferi DNA in the 554 adult and nymphal I. scapularis ticks sampled across the two-year study period, we identified 184 (33%) infected with B
Summary
In eastern North America, including Canada, Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and transmitted to humans by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis. The last decade has seen a growing incidence of Lyme disease in Canada, following the northward range expansion of I. scapularis tick populations from endemic areas in eastern United States This may be attributable to movement of the many hosts that they parasitize, including songbirds, deer and small mammals. Blacklegged tick populations have been increasingly observed in eastern Canada in the past several years, in regions bordering endemic areas in the United States to the south Their establishment in new areas is attributed to multiple factors, including spatial diffusion from established areas, alongside changes in climate and the environment that have impacted tick survival and the range of blacklegged tick hosts[6,7,8,9]. The bordering cities of Ottawa in Ontario and Gatineau in Quebec represent a major urban and suburban region situated at the northern range front of blacklegged ticks[13,14], making this an important region for understanding factors related to tick and tick-borne pathogen emergence
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
