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. 2019 Apr 4;45(4):83-89.
doi: 10.14745/ccdr.v45i04a02.

N Increased risk of tick-borne diseases with climate and environmental changes

C Bouchard  1   2 , A Dibernardo  3 , J Koffi  2   4 , H Wood  3 , P A Leighton  2 , L R Lindsay  3
Affiliations

N Increased risk of tick-borne diseases with climate and environmental changes

C Bouchard et al. Can Commun Dis Rep. .

Abstract

Climate warming and other environmental changes have contributed to the expansion of the range of several tick species into higher latitudes in North America. As temperatures increase in Canada, the environment becomes more suitable for ticks and the season suitable for tick activity lengthens, so tick-borne diseases are likely to become more common in Canada. In addition to Lyme disease, four other tick-borne diseases (TBDs) have started to emerge and are likely to increase: Anaplasmosis; Babesiosis; Powassan virus; and Borrelia miyamotoi disease. Increased temperature increases the survival and activity period of ticks, increases the range of both reservoir and tick hosts (e.g. mice and deer) and increases the duration of the season when people may be exposed to ticks. Other ticks and TBDs may spread into Canada as the climate changes. The public health strategies to mitigate the impact of all TBDs include surveillance to detect current and emerging TBDs, and public health actions to prevent infections by modifying environmental and social-behavioral risk factors through increasing public awareness. Clinical care strategies include patient education, early detection, laboratory testing, and treatment.

Keywords: Anaplasma phagocytophilum; Anaplasmosis; Babesia microti; Babesiosis; Powassan virus; and Borrelia miyamotoi; climate change; tick-borne disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Weather and climate drivers that favor ticks’ lifecycle and increase risk to humans
Adapted from Ogden & Lindsay, 2015 (5)
Figure 2
Figure 2. Key climate changes, ecological factors and social-behavioral risks that affect the acquisition of tick-borne diseases
Adapted from Beard et al. 2016 (50)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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