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- Title
Epidemiology of Lyme Disease, Nova Scotia, Canada, 2002-2013.
- Authors
Hatchette, Todd F.; Johnston, B. Lynn; Schleihauf, Emily; Mask, Angela; Haldane, David; Drebot, Michael; Baikie, Maureen; Cole, Teri J.; Fleming, Sarah; Gould, Richard; Lindsay, Robbin
- Abstract
Ixodes scapularis ticks, which transmit Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease (LD), are endemic to at least 6 regions of Nova Scotia, Canada. To assess the epidemiology and prevalence of LD in Nova Scotia, we analyzed data from 329 persons with LD reported in Nova Scotia during 2002-2013. Most patients reported symptoms of early localized infection with rash (89.7%), influenza-like illness (69.6%), or both; clinician-diagnosed erythema migrans was documented for 53.2%. In a separate serosurvey, of 1,855 serum samples screened for antibodies to B. burgdorferi, 2 were borderline positive (both with an indeterminate IgG on Western blot), resulting in an estimated seroprevalence of 0.14% (95% CI 0.02%-0.51%). Although LD incidence in Nova Scotia has risen sharply since 2002 and is the highest in Canada (16/100,000 population in 2013), the estimated number of residents with evidence of infection is low, and risk is localized to currently identified LD-endemic regions.
- Publication
Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2015, p1751
- ISSN
1080-6040
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.3201/eid2110.141640