Journal
VECTOR-BORNE AND ZOONOTIC DISEASES
Volume 16, Issue 4, Pages 215-222Publisher
MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC
DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2015.1890
Keywords
Tick-borne disease.; Active surveillance; Lyme disease; Ixodes scapularis; Borrelia burgdorferi
Funding
- Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
- Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC)
- National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
- NSERC scholarship
- Ontario Veterinary College Fellowship
- Blake Graham Fellowship
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Over the past two decades, the northward spread of Ixodes scapularis across Ontario, Canada, has accelerated and the risk of Lyme disease has increased. Active surveillance is a recognized and effective method for detecting reproducing populations of I. scapularis. In this study, we conducted field sampling consistent with an active surveillance approach from May to October 2014 at 104 sites in central, eastern, and southern Ontario to determine the current distribution of I. scapularis and other tick species, and enhance our understanding of the geographic risk associated with Borrelia burgdorferi and other tick-borne pathogens of public health significance in this region. I. scapularis was present at 20 of the 104 sites visited. Individuals of the tick species Dermacentor variabilis, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris, and Ixodes dentatus were also collected. I. scapularis was positive by PCR for B. burgdorferi at five sites. These sites formed a significant spatial cluster in eastern Ontario. No ticks were PCR positive for Borrelia miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Babesia microti. This study provides an up-to-date picture of the distribution of I. scapularis and other tick species, and the risk of B. burgdorferi and other pathogens of public health significance in central, eastern, and southern Ontario. This information may allow for more effective surveillance efforts and public health interventions for Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases in this region.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available