The latest issue of The Lyme Report goes out to subscribers tomorrow and its focus is on the Mount Allison Lyme Research Network and vector-borne illnesses in animals, particularly dogs. In tomorrow’s issue, subscribers will find:

• FEATURE: Mount Allison Lyme Research Network founding member Vett Lloyd shares her insights into the unique approach the network takes in tackling the big questions posed by the Canadian Lyme disease community. 

• ANALYSIS: We’ll be examining two new research papers documenting vector-borne diseases in animals. The first looks at the prevalence of human pathogens in blacklegged ticks collected from dogs and peridomestic wildlife (squirrels, raccoons, skunks, etc.) in Ontario and the other examines the prevalence of four vector-borne pathogens in dogs across Canada.

• NEWS BRIEFS: Canadian researchers are making news by sharing their expertise on ticks in New Brunswick and Ontario. 

Not yet a subscriber? Click on the button below to read the full newsletter and to gain access to the archives where you will find this and all previous issues of The Lyme Report.

There’s a definite chill in the air these days, but it serves as an excellent reminder that we need to be vigilant about the blacklegged ticks that are active this time of year, making tick checks essential after spending any time out in the greenery.

My latest search of scientific journals turned up a handful from this year that hadn’t yet made it into my database. The addition of these latest papers brings the total number of Canadian-authored research papers on the Lyme Disease in Canada site to 314 and counting.

Here’s what I’ve added to the 2019 list:

Prevention of transfusion-transmitted infections

Detection of 'Candidatus Ehrlichia khabarensis' in rodents and ticks removed from rodents in British Columbia, Canada

Sex-Specific Linkages Between Taxonomic and Functional Profiles of Tick Gut Microbiomes

What is your diagnosis? A feline blood smear

Pharmacokinetics of imidocarb dipropionate in white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) after single intramuscular administration

Critical diapause portion for oscillations: Parametric trigonometric functions and their applications for Hopf bifurcation analyses

Behavioral responses of Ixodes scapularis tick to natural products: development of novel repellents

Maternal antibodies provide strain-specific protection against infection with the Lyme disease pathogen in bank voles

In addition to the papers I’ve added for this year, I’ve also added some historical ones (historical = pre-2019) that got missed when I was indexing papers in previous years. It’s amazing how many of these turn up despite what I thought were thorough searches at the time.

Here’s what I’ve added: 

2018

En Face OCT in Lyme Uveitis

2017

Identification of Tp0751 (Pallilysin) as a Treponema pallidum Vascular Adhesin by Heterologous Expression in the Lyme disease Spirochete

2016

Blood-Borne Pathogens: A Canadian Blood Services Centre for Innovation Symposium

2014

Origin of Dermacentor albipictus (Acari: Ixodidae) on elk in the Yukon, Canada

Use of the polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of Babesia odocoilei 18S ribosomal RNA in formalin-fixed tissues

Population-based passive tick surveillance and detection of expanding foci of blacklegged ticks Ixodes scapularis and the Lyme disease agent Borrelia burgdorferi in Ontario, Canada

2013

Periplasmic flagellar export apparatus protein, FliH, is involved in post-transcriptional regulation of FlaB, motility and virulence of the relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia hermsii

Host specialization in ticks and transmission of tick-borne diseases: a review

Risk of tick-borne infections on the rise

Animal models of tick-borne hemorrhagic Fever viruses

2012

Dispersion and sampling of adult Dermacentor andersoni in rangeland in Western North America

Granulocytic anaplasmosis in a horse from Saskatchewan

2011

Seabirds and the circulation of Lyme borreliosis bacteria in the North Pacific

Novel genotypes of Anaplasma bovis, "Candidatus midichloria" sp. and Ignatzschineria sp. in the Rocky Mountain wood tick, Dermacentor andersoni

For in-depth coverage of tick and tick-borne research in Canada, please subscribe to The Lyme Report where you’ll find feature articles, interviews, latest research news, analysis of research papers and more.

As always, if you are aware of any tick or tick-borne illness research being done in Canada or involving Canadian researchers that you believe I should be covering, please drop me a line at thelymereport@substack.com.

The latest issue of The Lyme Report goes out to subscribers tomorrow and it’s all about psychology and tick-borne babesia. In tomorrow’s issue, subscribers will find:

• FEATURE: Mount Allison University psychology professor Odette Gould discusses her research into the emotional impact of Lyme disease on parents attempting to navigate the healthcare system with children who suffer from longstanding Lyme disease symptoms.

• ANALYSIS: Lyme disease isn’t the only tick-borne illness impacting the health of Canadians. In this issue, I’ll give you the rundown on two recent research papers that address babesia in this country. The first takes a look at babesia in nature where a tick was discovered to be infected with a babesia species new to Canada. The second looks at the prevalence of babesia in our nation’s blood supply.  

• NEWS BRIEFS: Researchers are making news discussing why fall is prime tick season in Canada and how biomarkers can be used to make better diagnostic tests for Lyme disease. Also, an East Coast entrepreneur wins a major award for her innovative tick prevention efforts.

Not yet a subscriber? Click on the button below to read the full newsletter and to gain access to the archives where you will find all previous issues of The Lyme Report.