Tick talk

Rotary Club of Wellington hosts Tick and Lyme Disease presentation as part of Wellness Series
STORY AND PHOTO: CHRIS COMPEAU AND YVONNE BUYS

Given that May is Lyme Disease awareness month, the Rotary Club of Wellington hosted, as part of its ongoing Wellness Series, a presentation on Ticks and Lyme Disease on May 13 at the Wellington Legion Hall. The lecture was dedicated to the memory of Kimball Lacey—a local resident who died from complications of Lyme disease last year. The expressed purpose of this presentation was to educate and protect community members from the insidious risks of tick-borne illnesses including Lyme disease. Dr. Robert Colautti, Associate Professor of Evolutionary Ecology and Ecological Genomics at Queen’s University and tick researcher addressed the audience of approximately 80 local residents.

LYME DISEASE ETIOLOGY
Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, which is passed to humans through the bite of an infected tick. The black-legged tick, or deer tick, is the carrier of this bacteria, and is typically found in forested leaves and high grass. It favours a warm, moist environment and as such is more prevalent in the spring and fall. It was noted that the deer tick prevalence in southern Ontario (including Prince Edward County) has steadily increased over the past decade. Dr. Colautti described the two-year life cycle of the black-legged tick and explained that the early nymph phase of the tick— barely visible being similar in size to a poppy seed—is still potentially infectious. The typical location of a tick bite includes ankles, toes, behind the knees, groin, waist, belly button, armpits, behind the ears and base of the neck. Unfortunately, the classic “bull’s eye” rash from an infected bite is noted in less than 50 per cent of those infected. In addition, early symptoms of infection include rather nonspecific flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, nausea, muscle ache, stiff neck, joint pain and rash. If treated promptly with a tetracycline- based antibiotic the prognosis is generally favorable. However, if untreated the spirochete will leave the bloodstream to enter the joints, heart and nerve tissue leading to chronic and potentially lethal complications. Dr. Colautti noted that even in treated cases there is a 10 to 20 per cent incidence of ongoing debilitating symptoms similar to “long Covid”. Specifically, these symptoms include fatigue, confusion, memory loss, numbness and balance problems.

Dr. Colautti emphasized that tick bite prevention is essential. Staying on short grass and paths while avoiding long grass and low-lying brush is important.

Furthermore, wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts will help prevent tick access to the skin. Tucking your pants into your socks may also be preventative. Wearing light-colored clothing may make it easier to identify ticks. If walking in high-risk areas is necessary, using spray repellent containing DEET, Permethrin or Icaridin is advisable. One should check labels to ensure the repellent is effective against ticks. Furthermore, after walking in wooded areas many advocate putting your clothes into a dryer, run on high heat, as dry heat will kill ticks.

If you have a tick on you, the most important thing is to remove it promptly and safely. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible and pull it straight out with steady pressure. Avoid twisting or squeezing the tick, as this can push its body fluids into your skin. After removal, wash the bite area and your hands with soap and water. Saving the tick for identification and potential testing for Lyme disease is currently not the standard. The proportion of ticks that carry the spirochete is so high, that if you have or suspect you had a tick bite it is essential to start an appropriate course of antibiotic treatment as soon as possible. If unable to see a medical practitioner in a timely fashion, in Ontario pharmacists can prescribe antibiotics for tick bite post-exposure prophylaxis in some cases. In general, the threshold for medical treatment is quite low. There were several community members in the audience who either had previously been treated or were actively being treated for Lyme disease who articulated how difficult their symptoms and medical journey has been.

RESEARCH
Dr. Colautti outlined some of the lab and field research that his group at Queen’s University is currently undergoing. These efforts are particularly promising with respect to tracking tick migration locally as well as efficiently diagnosing Borrelia borgdorferi infections. He provided the following websites, lymeontario.com, hopkinslyme.org, where one can access more information and engage in dialogue with other patients suffering from Lyme disease.