Lyme Disease in Manitoba

In late 1998 a law was passed and Lyme Disease is now reportable as of January 1999.

In the 1991 Consensus Conference on Lyme disease, Manitoba recorded 17 cases of LD. Of those, 12 contracted the disease in Manitoba⁽³⁾. All theses cases have been taken off Manitoba books. Why? ⁽⁷⁾

Lyme disease (LD) is a tick-bome infection, which begins with a bite from a tick. The initial symptoms are a bulls-eye rash in 40-60 % of cases, followed by flu-like illness with low grade fever, headaches, aches and pains that come and go. These are symptoms that should be checked by your physician. Prompt treatment is essential to prevent Late Stage Lyme which can be very debilitating. Some symptoms are arthritic, neurologic, and cardiac difficulties. It is known as the Great Imitator and imitates a wide range of diseases. A serological study done in 1988 on 320 frozen blood samples, 72 (22%) tested positive and of 110 samples, 21 (19%) tested positive for antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi (BB). Antibodies were detected in samples from all health regions but mainly from those in the southern parts of the province. The breakdown was as follows:

• Thompson 10%,
• Northern Manitoba 30%,
• Parkland 30%,
• Western Manitoba 27.5%,
• Interlake 27%,
• Central 20%,
• Winnipeg l0%.

In 1989 a total of 93 persons reported a EM-like rash, 51 of these were seen by a physicians, of those 28 received antibiotics. Forty-two people with the rash reported exposure to ticks in Manitoba, 6 in Northwestern Ontario, and 13 in other geographic areas.⁽¹⁾ Data from research project done at Cadham Lab, tested 633 blood samples from randomly picked patients of those, 83 were highly positive.⁽²⁾ Further research needs to be done in order to understand why such large numbers tested positive for Lyme disease. This research has been ignored for more than ten years.

Ixodes scapularis (Is) ticks sometimes known as Blacklegged ticks which are known to carry Lyme disease were collected from the following areas in Manitoba: ⁽⁴⁾

• 1988-1994: Gunton, Balmoral, Flin Flon, Stonewall, Mordon, Selkirk, Matlock, Oakbank, Delta Marsh ⁽⁴⁾
• 1995-1996: Killarney, Birdshill Park, Madock (San Souci) Beaudry Park or Labarriere Park)⁽⁴⁾
• 1995-1996 WINNIPEG - Tuxedo **Garden City, Fort, Richmond, Charleswood, & 3 unrecorded areas. ⁽⁴⁾ In 1996 Passive surveillance done by Dr. Terry Galloway and Manitoba Health, netted a total of 15 I. scapularis ticks. Only 5 of the 15 were sent for testing. In late fall Dr. Galloway received a tick** off a dog from Garden City area with no travel outside of the city. The tick was sent to LCDC Ottawa where it tested negative by darkfield microscopy and IFA for Lyme disease, but the bacteria that causes Lyme D. was cultured from the tick.⁽⁴⁾ This is an indication of how limited our tests are for Lyme disease, It was determined in the B.C. Provincial. Lab using PCR testing that it was Borrelia burgdorferi, by Dr. Banerjee.
• 1997 a total of 10 deer ticks from these areas: 3 Winnipeg, 2 Birds Hill Park, 1 Winnipeg or Birds Hill, 2 East Selkirk, Warren, Oakbank or Dugald. These ticks sent for testing to LCDC in Ottawa by Dr. Terry Galloway U.of M. ⁽⁶⁾
• 1998 a total of 23 deer ticks were found in the following areas: Winnipeg 10; 2 from St. Vital, St. James, Wolseley, Inkster, 2 from Charieswood, River Heights, possibly St. Vital or Bossevain. Rural 13; Cartier, Birds Hill, Souris, 2 from Selkirk, Argyle, Oak Bluff, Lundar, East St. Paul, Selkirk or Whiteshell, Beausejour, Libau.
• 1996-1997 DEER TICKS ON BIRDS First report of Blacklegged ticks on birds in Manitoba.⁽⁵⁾ From spring of 1996 to fall of 1997 3 different types of ticks were found on songbirds during bird banding at Delta Marsh: 10 I.s. (deer ticks) and 2 I. muris (mouse ticks) and 4 rabbit ticks. One larval and 9 nymphal ticks. Most were collected during spring migration however one blacklegged nymph was collected on August 3 1996 which indicated that it was picked up locally.
• 2001 Tick collection Study A passive surveillance Program ⁽⁹⁾ collected 272 ticks from Manitoba, including 177 dog ticks (Dermacentor variablis) and 68 blacklegged ticks (Ixodes Scapularis) and small numbers of other species of ticks. Of the 68 blacklegged ticks, five were found to be infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, the spirochete causing Lyme disease!

  Locations of Infected Ticks

  (1) Sekla L., MB Bach. Stackiw, W. B.SC., Poffenroth, I MD. Field Entomologist, Lyme Disease in Mb. CDWR 1990 16: 147-152, 149.
  (2) Freedom Of Information Package.
  (3) Consensus Statement on Lyme Disease CDRW 1991 17:66.
  (4) Personal Communication, Dr. T. Galloway, Ph.D. Professor University Of MB.
  (5) John Scott, Ms Heidi den Haan, Lyme Alert, Volume 8, No. 1, Jan-Mar 1998.
  (6) Personal communication, Dr. Terry T. Galloway,
  (7) Manitoba government website
  (8) Personal communication, Dr. Robbin Lindsay,
  (9) Lindsay LR, Dibernardo, A., Galloway, TD. Ticks Submitted During the Manitoba Health Passive Surveillance Program, 2001.
  
  

  Ixodes Scapularis Ticks found in Manitoba in 2001

  Five of 68 found (7.35%) infected with Borrelia burgdorferi.

  Localities of collection and infection status with Borrelia burgdorferi for blacklegged ticks, Ixodes scapularis, collected in Manitoba during 2001.
  Locality	No. of ticks collected (sex or stage)	No. infected with B. burgdorferi
  Winnipeg	35 (3 males, 32 females)	2 females
  St. Norbert (La Barrière Park)	5 (2 males, 3 females)	1 female
  Morden	4 (3 females, 1 nymph)	--
  Balmoral	3 (females)	1 female
  Stonewall	2 (females)	--
  Traverse Bay	2 (females)	--
  Thornhill	1 (female)	--
  Starbuck	1 (female)	--
  Sandy Hook	1 (male)	--
  Petersfield	1 (female)	--
  Teulon	1 (female)	--
  Ochre River	1 (female)	--
  East Selkirk	1 (female)	1 female
  Dugald	1 (female)	--
  St. Francois Xavier	1 (nymph)	--
  Clearwater Lake Provincial Park	1 (female)	--
  Anola	1 (female)	--
  Clarkleigh	1 (female)	--
  Garson	1 (female)	--
  Dauphin	1 (female)	--
  Carman	1 (female)	--
  Ste. Genevieve	1 (female)	--
  Total	68 (7 males, 59 females, 2 nymphs)	5 (females)

  
  
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