Encounters with ticks are no longer just a problem for someone trudging through the woods - they can happen right in your own backyard.
Dr. Melanie Wills
That is one of the findings from ongoing research studying tick bites from the G. Magnotta Research Lab at the University of Guelph. Launched in 2022, the study is a long-term initiative to capture as much data as possible about Canadians bitten by deer (blacklegged) ticks, which carry and transmit Lyme disease.
It is also highlighting misconceptions about risk.
Tick ranges are expanding across Canada, escalating human-tick encounters, says Dr. Melanie Wills, lab director and professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology.
"You don't need to be deep in the forest or brush to be bitten by ticks," Wills says. Many of the study's participants reported doing routine activities like gardening or yard work when they encountered a tick.
There can be an assumption that ticks are easy to spot, Wills says, but even larger, adult ticks studied by the team fed on human hosts for several days before they were detected and removed.
In the process of this research, buoyed by a tick donation program, the lab is also learning about the pathogen and the disease - why certain strains of the bacteria that cause Lyme are more virulent and effective at making people ill.
"The interdisciplinary nature of the Magnotta lab positions us well to evolve with the field and continue to contribute meaningfully," Wills says.
Tick donation program provides invaluable data
Through the tick donation program, the lab receives first-hand information from people about their experiences, contributing to an overall understanding of ticks and vector-borne diseases. This data is helping innovate and shape the future of infectious disease management.
"It is not common for studies to integrate tick data with the human perspective, particularly in North America," Wills says.
Typically, passive surveillance initiatives - ticks submitted by people who have encountered them - are used to evaluate and inform geographical risk. Clinical studies separately consider medical outcomes from the point of Lyme disease diagnosis forward.
"Approaching this problem through a One Health lens that includes the study of the tick vectors, characterization of the pathogens they carry and the impact of the bite on the human host offers a deeper, more integrative and holistic perspective," Wills says.
Tick research expanding awareness, action
On the way to work one day, Laura Rossi set her backpack down in a small, urban green space to tuck her car keys inside. Ticks were the furthest thing from her mind.
When she discovered one embedded in her skin days later, she was alarmed. Her prior knowledge about how to safely remove a tick and keep it for testing kicked in, but so did some concern about how to access treatment. She captured the tick in a Ziploc bag and submitted it for study.
One of the lab's priorities is contributing to the development of improved diagnostic tests; current tools are inadequate and create challenges for patients and physicians in detecting the disease and evaluating treatment response.
While Rossi also consulted a physician, she learned that Lyme disease is treatable if caught early. "I am much more aware of the risk of tick bites but also less scared of them," she says. "Awareness and action are key; ticks are here to stay, and we can't escape them."
Research like this study is supported by the G. Magnotta Foundation for Vector Borne Diseases and the Caron Thorburn Institute.
"We're incredibly grateful to the G. Magnotta Foundation and others who have supported this work," Wills says, "as well as the participants who donated their time and samples to make this study possible."
Interested in participating in the study? To submit ticks removed from humans, pets or livestock in Canada, complete this form from the G. Magnotta Research Lab or email gmlstudy@uoguelph.ca.
