Tag Archives: Ixodes

Prevalence of Infection and Co-Infection and Presence of Rickettsial Endosymbionts in Ixodes Scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in Connecticut, USA.

Abstract Ixodes scapularis is currently known to transmit 7 pathogens responsible for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, tick-borne relapsing fever, ehrlichiosis, and Powassan encephalitis. Ixodes scapularis can also be colonized by endosymbiotic bacteria including those in the genus of Rickettsia. We screened 459 I. scapularis ticks submitted to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Tick Testing Laboratory with the objectives to (1) examine differences in infection prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi, Anaplasma Continues →

‘Every season is tick season’: Experts warn of winter Lyme disease risk

People have ‘let their guard down’ and aren’t checking for ticks as weather cools, says zoologist   Laurenne Schiller loves taking her dog Cousteau for walks along Halifax trails as the weather cools. But even after the first dusting of snow this week, each walk finishes with a head-to-toe check for blacklegged ticks on her and her collie.   “”They’re Continues →

Epidemiology of Ehrlichiosis, Anaplasmosis [Can be coinfection with other tick borne disease(s) or stand alone infections]

Nov 26th, 2018 Ehrlichiosis “Ehrlichiosis is a disease caused by several Gram-negative obligate intracellular bacteria that are transmitted by a tick vector. The frequency of ehrlichiosis is increasing, which is ascribed to the increased awareness and diagnostic availability, as well as the expansion of regions populated with the most common tick vector – Amblyomma americanum (also known as the Lone Star tick).”  Continues →

Lyme disease in Saskatchewan ticks, and dog ticks can infect Borrelia miyamotoi.

The vast majority of ticks found in Saskatchewan are Dermacentor variabilis (American dog tick), a species not known to be a competent vector of typical Lyme borreliosis (Borrelia burrgdorferi s.l.) to humans.  However, recently Borrelia miyamotoi has been found in Canadian ticks coast to coast. Also, this from Manitoba, Saskatchewan’s next door neighbour. Borrelia miyamotoi causes similar disease in humans to Lyme borreliosis. Needing more Continues →

Comparison of bacterial 16S rRNA variable regions for microbiomesurveys of ticks

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.02.002 Abstract   Ticks vector diverse pathogenic bacteria that are important to identify in public health and veterinary contexts. Technological advances in high throughput sequencing have given an unprecedented opportunity to comprehensively characterize bacterial associates of ticks, but recent studies have used different 16S rRNA variable regions and sequence read lengths with little consideration of whether they reveal the same Continues →

Ticks that Transmit Lyme Disease Reported in 48.6% of U.S. Counties

[CanLyme note:  A good take home message from this article linked below is that for government to focus heavily on only known areas where ticks are established, is misguided. Canada is comprised of millions of square kilometers.  Less than one percent of one percent are looked at for Lyme disease in nature. If you have robins or other migratory birds, Continues →

Partially fed ticks who then re-attach to a new host can transmit Lyme disease within 24 hours 83% of the time according to study.

Int J Gen Med. 2015; 8: 1–8. Published online 2014 Dec 19. doi:  10.2147/IJGM.S73791 PMCID: PMC4278789 Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment “It was also found that partially fed ticks would efficiently re-attach to a new host, and in these new hosts transmission occurred in 83% of cases within 24 hours. The implication of shorter Continues →

London, England: Health warning after ‘Lyme disease ticks’ are found in Richmond Park

Thursday, September 24th, 2015 Ticks carrying the debilitating Lyme disease have been found in London’s Richmond Park, according to university scientists. Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine warned visitors to exercise caution in order to avoid contracting the bacterial infection, which can be passed on to humans via bites from the parasites. More than 1,000 “Ixodes Continues →

How to Protect Horses From Lyme Disease

By Stacey Oke, DVM, MSc June 17, 2015 The Horse magazine Spring has sprung … and so have the ticks. With some of those ticks comes the risk of your horse contracting Lyme disease, an infection caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme disease is transmitted mainly viaIxodes ticks, which pass the bacteria from infected animals to uninfected animals during Continues →

CTV Winnipeg: Lyme disease cases on the rise in Manitoba

Cheryl Holmes, CTV Winnipeg Published Friday, May 15, 2015 4:05PM CST It’s tick season in Manitoba and while many residents have likely heard the warnings before, this year is not a year to take those warnings lightly. The number of Manitoban’s contracting Lyme disease is on the rise and the province aims to raise awareness to make sure you protect Continues →

Diversity of piroplasms detected in blood-fed and questing ticks from several states in the United States.

Shock BC, Moncayo A, Cohen S, Mitchell EA, Williamson PC, Lopez G, Garrison LE, Yabsley MJ. online before print 2014 Apr 4.http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2014.01.003 Abstract Piroplasms in the genera Babesia, Theileria, and Cytauxzoon are tick-borne parasites that may be animal and human pathogens. Most piroplasms with known life cycles are transmitted by ixodid ticks; however, for many species, the vector is unknown. Continues →

Detection of human bacterial pathogens in ticks collected from Louisiana black bears (Ursus americanus luteolus).

Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2013 Apr;4(3):191-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2012.12.002. Epub  2013 Feb 15. Leydet BF Jr, Liang FT. Source Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA. Electronic address: bleyde1@tigers.lsu.edu. Abstract There are 4 major human-biting tick species in the northeastern United States, which include: Amblyomma americanum, Amblyomma maculatum, Dermacentor variabilis, and Ixodes scapularis. Continues →

Investigation of Genotypes of Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes scapularis Ticks Collected during Surveillance in Canada

Ogden, et al Abstract The genetic diversity of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto, the agent of Lyme disease in North America, has consequences for the performance of serological diagnostic tests and disease severity. To investigate B. burgdorferi diversity in Canada, where Lyme disease is emerging, bacterial DNA in 309 infected adult Ixodes scapularis ticks collected in surveillance was characterized by multilocus Continues →