|
Home
|
|
Symptoms
|
|
Live Discussion
|
|
Diagnosis
|
|
Treatment
|
|
Area Support
|
|
Library
|
|
Research
|
|
Lymelinks
|
|
Contact
|
|
Pets & Lyme
|
|
DONATIONS
|
|
Drug Info
|
|
Medical Dictionary
|
|
Board of Directors
|
|
|
No Warranties or Representations
The data and information presented in this web site are presented in good faith and believed to be accurate regarding Lyme disease (commonly misspelled lymes disease lyme's disease lime disease limes disease) and other related diseases. Any and all liability for the content or any omissions including any inaccuracies, errors, or misstatements in such data or information is expressly disclaimed. The web site is compiled for the sole purpose of informing community members of resources and information pertaining to Lyme Borreliosis Disease and its coinfections. Lyme disease symptoms may vary from person to person.
The Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, Directors and members are not liable for any direct or indirect damages or any damages whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tortious action arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of information available from this website.
Consult a qualified Lyme ( Borreliosis ) Disease literate doctor for medical advice if Lyme Disease is suspect.
|
Disease-prone ticks spotted more often Marilyn Smulders
Halifax Daily News 12-02-2005
Since discovery of black-legged ticks in a Bedford park a month ago,
people have been bringing in the tiny, blood-sucking insects to
Natural Resources and the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History in
record numbers.
"Until this fall, we rarely saw them," said Andrew Hebda, curator of
zoology at the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History. "But now, people
are more aware."
Fifty to 60 black-legged ticks, the kind capable of carrying and
transmitting Lyme disease, have been plucked off dogs, cats and people
at several locations in HRM, including Bedford and Spryfield, plus
Antigonish, Queens and Lunenburg Counties.
"Dogs like to go off paths - them and bad golfers - so that's why the
ticks attach to them," said Hebda. "The (ticks) crawl to a cosy place
where they can go for a nice feed."
Black-legged ticks are small, the size of the "o" on this page. But
they become much larger, about the size of a Tic Tac mint, when
engorged with blood. The females are orangey-red coloured on the
abdomen, while males are uniformly brown.
Hebda speculates black-legged ticks are becoming more wide- spread in
Nova Scotia as they hitch rides on birds.
As they're collected, ticks are being sent for testing by the Public
Health Agency of Canada's microbiology laboratory in Winnipeg. The
first batch of 44 sent off in October tested negative for the
bacterium that causes Lyme disease. The devastating disease has
symptom that include fever, headache, fatigue and a distinctive
bulls-eye skin rash. It is difficult to diagnose, and can spread to
joints, the heart and nervous system if left untreated.
Until recently, Natural Resources had discovered black-legged ticks
mainly in Lunenburg County, where they're established. The key to
determining if black-legged ticks are established in HRM is to find
them at all stages of development, not just adults, said Jeff Ogden,
field entomologist with the Department of Natural Resources.
That involves trapping small mammals, such as squirrels, mice and
voles, and examining them under the microscope for larvae and nits,
and testing blood samples taken from the animals.
"At this stage, we need to do more testing, more surveillance," said
Ogden.
email Marilyn Smulders
| |
|
