Rurality, Socioeconomic Status, and Residence in Environmental Risk Areas Associated with Increased Lyme Disease Incidence in Ontario, Canada: A Case-Control Study.

Lyme disease (LD) is the most common tick-borne illness in North America. LD is acquired through exposure to the tick vector, , known as the blacklegged tick. In Canada, LD is rapidly emerging, with the establishment of in many newly endemic regions posing a growing risk to local communities.

American dog ticks along their expanding range edge in Ontario, Canada.

The American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, is a tick of public and veterinary health importance in North America. Using passive tick surveillance data, we document distribution changes for the American dog tick in Ontario, Canada, from 2010 through 2018. Dermacentor variabilis submissions from the public were geocoded and aggregated-from large to small administrative geographies-by health region, public health unit (PHU) and Forward Sortation Area (FSA).

A Computer Vision Approach to Identifying Ticks Related to Lyme Disease.

Lyme disease (caused by ) is an infectious disease transmitted to humans by a bite from infected blacklegged ticks () in eastern North America. Lyme disease can be prevented if antibiotic prophylaxis is given to a patient within 72 hours of a blacklegged tick bite. Therefore, recognizing a blacklegged tick could facilitate the management of Lyme disease.

Monitoring the patterns of submission and presence of tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes scapularis collected from humans and companion animals in Ontario, Canada (2011-2017).

Background: The universal nature of the human-companion animal relationship and their shared ticks and tick-borne pathogens offers an opportunity for improving public and veterinary health surveillance. With this in mind, we describe the spatiotemporal trends for blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) submissions from humans and companion animals in Ontario, along with pathogen prevalence.

Methods: We tested tick samples submitted through passive surveillance (2011-2017) from humans and companion animals for Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia microti.

Assessing human exposure to spotted fever and typhus group rickettsiae in Ontario, Canada (2013-2018): a retrospective, cross-sectional study.

Background: Assessing the burden of rickettsial infections in Ontario, Canada, is challenging since rickettsial infections are not reportable to public health. In the absence of reportable disease data, we assessed the burden of rickettsial infections by examining patient serological data and clinical information.

Methods: Our retrospective, cross-sectional study included patients who had Rickettsia serological testing ordered by their physician, in Ontario, from 2013 to 2018.

An apparent, locally acquired case of rickettsialpox () in Ontario, Canada.

Rickettsialpox, caused by , is a spotted fever group rickettsiae transmitted to humans through the bite of the house mouse mite (). Worldwide, rickettsialpox is most commonly associated with exposure to rodents in urban environments. Here, we present the case of a 47-year-old woman from Brantford, Ontario, with fever, eschar on the right leg, expanding erythema, and right groin lymphadenopathy.

Occurrence and distribution of Ambylomma americanum as determined by passive surveillance in Ontario, Canada (1999-2016).

The lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum, is spreading northward from its historical stronghold in the southeastern United States. As a vector and biting pest, public and veterinary health officials must remain vigilant of the lone star tick's expanding range. We use ticks submitted to Public Health Ontario Laboratory (1999-2016) to describe the spatial and temporal dynamics of A.

A field-based indicator for determining the likelihood of Ixodes scapularis establishment at sites in Ontario, Canada.

The emergence of the vector Ixodes scapularis in Ontario, Canada poses a significant public health risk. Both passive and active surveillance approaches have been employed by public health professionals (i.e.

Human pathogens associated with the blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis: a systematic review.

Background: The blacklegged tick Ixodes scapularis transmits Borrelia burgdorferi (sensu stricto) in eastern North America; however, the agent of Lyme disease is not the sole pathogen harbored by the blacklegged tick. The blacklegged tick is expanding its range into areas of southern Canada such as Ontario, an area where exposure to blacklegged tick bites and tick-borne pathogens is increasing. We performed a systematic review to evaluate the public health risks posed by expanding blacklegged tick populations and their associated pathogens.

A modified Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gravid trap for easier mosquito collection.

The original Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gravid trap, with its mesh collection bag, can cause considerable damage to the captured mosquitoes. In an effort to reduce this damage and keep costs at a minimum, we modified our existing CDC gravid traps to accept a collection cup from a CDC light trap. This modification allowed for easier transport, freezing, storage, and removal of the mosquitoes.

Attraction of Culex pipiens/restuans (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes to bird uropygial gland odors at two elevations in the Niagara region of Ontario.

In an effort to determine whether female Culex pipiens L. and Culex restuans Theobald mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) are attracted to crow, Corvus brachyrhynchus, uropygial gland secretions, CDC miniature light traps (baited with CO2 but with the lights removed) were placed at approximately 1.5- and 5-m elevations, in 10 trees in awoodlot near Niagara Falls, Canada.

Analysis of nectar and honeydew feeding in Aedes and Ochlerotatus mosquitoes.

Most research has investigated floral nectar as a source of carbohydrates for mosquitoes and has ignored homopteran honeydew. We have assessed the prevalence of honeydew and nectar feeding in 7 species of mosquitoes collected from Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. In total, 403 individuals were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography, with melezitose and stachyose as honeydew-indicator sugars.