Eastern Canada Doctors Urged to Spot Anaplasmosis as 6% of Sampled Ticks Carried Pathogen
Updated
Updated · health.yahoo.com · Jul 15
Eastern Canada Doctors Urged to Spot Anaplasmosis as 6% of Sampled Ticks Carried Pathogen
3 articles · Updated · health.yahoo.com · Jul 15
Summary
A Canadian Medical Association Journal paper urged eastern Canada physicians to suspect anaplasmosis—not just Lyme disease—when patients present with unexplained fever, chills or other flu-like symptoms.
A 79-year-old man in rural eastern Ontario improved quickly after doctors started doxycycline before lab confirmation, illustrating why authors say treatment should begin promptly when the infection is a real possibility.
Public Health Agency of Canada data show blacklegged ticks spreading eastward from Manitoba, especially in Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, while the share of sampled ticks carrying Anaplasma phagocytophilum rose to 6% in 2024 from 3% in 2022.
The illness often lacks Lyme disease’s early expanding rash and can be missed when patients do not recall a tick bite; untreated cases can progress to kidney failure, myocarditis, brain inflammation and acute respiratory distress.
Doctors and public health officials still stress prevention over avoidance: use DEET or Icaridin, check for ticks daily, remove attached ticks with fine-point tweezers, and submit photos to eTick.ca for identification.