Creeping north: Why ticks and Lyme disease are on the rise in N.B.
People can send ticks to Fredericton lab for testing if they get bit
This story may make you squirm, but if you plan to enjoy the outdoors this summer, you might want to read on.
Ticks are continuing to move north — and that includes New Brunswick.
Although ticks are already well established in southern New Brunswick, they've started to move into northern areas of the province, said Rebecca Jensen, a molecular microbiology technician at Research Productivity Council, the province's research facility in Fredericton.
"As you know, climate change is happening, temperatures are warming up and the environment is becoming more and more suitable for ticks to be able to reproduce and survive."
Jensen tests ticks for the bacteria they can pass to humans that causes Lyme disease.
Ticks are found in the grass and can be picked up by deer or household pets.
If you do find a tick on a person, Jensen said, you should remove it carefully, and make sure you get the full body, including the head. The Research and Productivity Council offers special tick removal devices that people can come pick up, she added.
"And then we want you to put it in a clean, dry container, like a Ziploc bag or a little tiny Tupperware container and bring it right to us," she said, so that it can be tested.
"So once we get your tick, what we'll do is we will extract the DNA from it. Once we have extracted DNA, we will run what's called a PCR test."
The PCR test allows the lab to read the DNA from the tick to see if the bacteria are present. The lab can usually return results within three business days.
Jensen said it's important to note that her lab only tests for the bacteria that causes Lyme, not the disease itself, so she recommends people consult a doctor or a veterinarian for their pet if the test comes back positive.
Jensen said people will usually notice a tick on them because they get "quite large" when they're full of blood.
Ticks are just starting to come out at this time of year, Jensen said, so people should be careful going in long grass if they're not wearing long pants and socks.
"I would be checking your dogs every time you bring them inside to make sure that they don't have a tick on them and also treating your pets for ticks."
But there is some good news.
Only about five to 10 per cent of the ticks checked at the lab in Fredericton test positive for the bacteria.
A 2023 report from New Brunswick Public Health cited a "dramatic increase" in ticks in the province. That year there were 100 cases of Lyme disease here, which is up from an average of 34 annual cases in the previous five years.
The report said 92 out of the 100 cases in 2023 were in health region 2, which is southern New Brunswick around Saint John. Thirty-five of the cases were in people over 65 years old.
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With files from Clare MacKenzie