Ticks carrying Lyme disease on the rise in N.B.
A rise in the number of ticks carrying Lyme disease in southeastern New Brunswick has biologists looking for samples.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection often transmitted by an infected tick and causing muscle pain, heart palpitations and nerve damage.
Dr. Vett Lloyd says the provincial norm is for 10 to 15 per cent of ticks to carry Lyme disease.
But a study of ticks in the Sackville area found about 40 per cent were testing positive.
Now Lloyd is setting her sights on the other parts of the province.
“We started our study focusing on the southeastern part of the province. We’ve just started extending our study to the north,” Lloyd said.
“So we’ve had one or two samples, and in fact they have tested positive but that’s our sum total so far. It’s hard to say what the risk factor is for Lyme disease in the north part of the province.”