Living With Blacklegged Ticks

"There are a lot of ticks now that carry the bacteria that cause Lyme disease so we have to be able to provide some answers on how to better prevent infection and treat the disease."
"There are pockets of excellence in Canada on Lyme disease research but we want to bring them together to have more impact."
Dr. Mark Ouellette, scientific director, Institute of Infection and Immunity, Canadian Institutes of Health Research

"It's a complicated disease that is quite difficult to understand -- and it's turning out to be more complex than people originally thought."
Dr. Tara Moriarty, infectious disease researcher, University of Toronto

This is the two-year life cycle of ticks. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Awareness of Lyme disease spread through infected deer ticks has been an issue for decades. Less of an issue in Canada than it has been in the United States, until the blacklegged ticks, aka deer ticks, began spreading into Canada. And now that they have, and continue to spread more widely it is not only Canadians visiting deer-tick-vulnerable places in the United States that contract Lyme disease, but those being exposed to the ticks increasingly right in Canada.

It isn't of course, only humans that are susceptible to Lyme disease, but animals as well. And just as people are cautioned to be aware when they are in wooded areas, of the presence of deer ticks, and to check for ticks clinging to clothing or to human skin, veterinarians warn dog owners of the risks to animals, and that anyone spending time in forested areas would do well to check their dogs for ticks as well. For dogs there is an oral medication to protect against ticks.

For humans, avoidance is the key for the present time. Which is to be alert to the presence of these tiny ticks and if they are found, to remove them as expeditiously as possible, within a 24-hour window representing the time it takes for bacterial transmission once the tick has latched on to human skin. Those troublesome ticks can appear anywhere in an outdoor environment, but mostly in forests and tall grasses.

They don't fly, and depend on animals or people passing by so that when they brush past where the ticks are perched with their front legs outstretched on grasses or leaves, they find their victims. Insect repellent is recommended, containing DEET, as is wearing long sleeves and long pants whenever in wooded areas. If a companion animal picks up an infected tick (not all deer ticks are infected with the Lyme bacteria) it can be easily transferable to a human.

Health authorities have found an increase in cases of Lyme disease and blacklegged ticks. A tick bite can leave a bull's-eye-shaped rash on the skin. (CBC)

And nor do all people who have been bitten by an infected tick suffer Lyme symptoms. It is a small minority of people who develop the hard-to-treat and painful form of the disease. Scientists do not yet know whether Lyme disease leaves biomarkers in the bloodstream representing an opportunity for doctors to diagnose Lyme while yet in its earliest, treatable stages. There is more not known about Lyme disease and its threatening effects than is yet known.

And it is precisely the need to know what it is about the bacteria Borellia burgdorferi that makes people so ill when it spreads within the human body. Dr. Moriarty's laboratory has discovered that in laboratory test mice, obesity and diabetes cause greater susceptibility to the bacteria and it can be the cause of bone loss as well, in mice.

The federal government has just announced a new initiative to spur Lyme disease research to create a network  to establish a nation-wide cohort of patients for the purpose of studying and tracking their experiences with Lyme disease to better understand how the disease manifests itself in those it infects, how to best diagnose and treat it, and how it persists even in people who have received treatment.

Lyme disease cases in Canada saw 144 diagnoses in 2009. An increase in prevalence and diagnoses raised that number to 917 in 2015, and growing nationwide. Estimates by public-health researchers now posit that 80 percent of Eastern Canada's population will live in areas where the ticks have established themselves by 2020, as opposed to the 18 percent represented in 2010 living in areas at risk of Lyme disease exposure.

Authorities caution people that ticks should be removed with tweezers grasping the head, to ensure that the entire tick, a member of the arachnid family, is removed. Discovered in its early stages, the illness the disease creates with flu-like symptoms generally is successfully treated with antibiotics. Untreated, arthritis can ensue, along with numbness, paralysis, heart disorders and neurological problems.

How to avoid tick bites

The best way to prevent Lyme disease is to prevent tick bites by:

• covering up
• using insect repellent
• double-checking yourself
• washing and drying thoroughly
• checking your pets

Cover up

Your clothing gives you an important layer of protection. Make sure to wear:

• light-coloured clothing so you can spot ticks and remove them before they bite
• a long-sleeved shirt or jacket tucked into long pants
  • tuck the pants into your socks for extra protection
• socks and closed footwear

Use insect repellent

Use an insect repellent, or bug spray, containing DEET or Icaridin on clothes and exposed skin. Always read the label for directions on how to use it.

Double-check yourself

When you go to an area where blacklegged ticks live, check – and recheck – yourself by:

• paying close attention to areas such as your scalp, ankles, armpits, groin, naval and behind your ears and knees

• using a mirror to check the back of your body or having someone else check for you

When you’ve double-checked yourself, don’t forget to do the same for children in your care.

How to remove a tick

Removing a tick is the same for humans and animals. Follow these steps to remove ticks:

1. If the tick is attached to you, use fine-tipped tweezers or tick removal tool to grasp the tick as close to your skin as possible. Do not use your fingers.
2. Pull the tick straight out, gently but firmly making sure to remove the entire tick (including the head). Don't squeeze it – avoid crushing the tick’s body.
3. After removing the tick, place it in a secure container, such as a screw-top bottle used for medication.
4. Give the tick to your health care professional or local health unit.
5. Thoroughly clean the bite site with rubbing alcohol and/or soap and water.

Lyme disease symptoms

Common symptoms include:

• fever
• headache
• muscle and joint pain
• spasms, numbness or tingling
• facial paralysis
• fatigue
• swollen glands
• expanding skin rash

People with Lyme disease often see symptoms within 1-2 weeks. But symptoms can appear as early as 3 to 30 days after a bite from an infected blacklegged tick.
Province of Ontario website