Introduction
Background
Ixodes scapularis (deer tick) and I. pacificus (western black-legged tick) are black-legged ticks, which are the primary organisms (disease vectors) that carry and transmit the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, the primary causative agent of Lyme disease in humans. The Alberta Submit-a-Tick Program monitors the types and distribution of tick species in Alberta and contributes to evaluating the risk of acquiring tick-borne Lyme disease within Alberta.
Alberta has monitored ticks through passive surveillance since 2013 to identify numbers and trends of Ixodes ticks capable of transmitting B. burgdorferi. In 2021, Alberta Health partnered with Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL) and eTick to update the Submit-a-Tick Program. Veterinary practices and members of the public can submit photos of ticks they find on themselves, in the environment, or on pets or livestock through the eTick website or app for species identification. eTick notifies a submitter if a tick of interest (e.g., Ixodes species) is identified and requests that they send the specimen to APL to test for B. burgdorferi. The first complete year of laboratory testing data after the transition to eTick was in 2022. In 2021, Ixodes ticks identified through eTick could not be submitted to APL for testing until August 2021, so the B. burgdorferi testing data are not complete for that year and should be interpreted with caution.
Using This Report
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