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New species of Lyme-related bacteria found on ticks in B.C.
By staff1 on November 10, 2016
By: Cam Fortems (Kamloops This Week)
A new species of bacteria that can cause Lyme disease has been found in ticks on dogs and, in one case, on a child in B.C.
The B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) reported the finding this week to the public and medical community.
The species is closely related to Borrelia mayonii, which previously was only known to be in the midwestern United States.
Borrelia mayonii is a newly discovered species of bacteria that can cause Lyme disease in people.
The tick that carried the new species is found in B.C., including in the Thompson-Okanagan.
While the finding is a scientific curiosity, Dr. Eleni Galanis, a physician-epidemiologist with the BCCDC, said it is considered a low risk due to its rarity.
Neither the child in the Central Interior, nor the two dogs in the Lower Mainland, have shown signs or symptoms of Lyme disease since having the ticks removed.
“We don’t know why it emerged here in B.C,” Galanis said, adding it may have been transported by bird or animal or emerged independently.
Ticks that carry the typical bacteria that may cause Lyme disease are found in the Thompson Valley.
But this area is not considered a high risk for acquiring the disease.
The highest risk areas are in Greater Vancouver and on Vancouver Island.
The BCCDC said less than one per cent of ticks tested in B.C. carry bacteria that can cause Lyme disease.read more
The prevalence of Lyme-causing bacteria in B.C. ticks has remained consistently low.
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