The first case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever was confirmed in Quebec this week. The tick-borne illness, which can be life threatening, is typically found in the United States.
Virginie Millien is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biology at ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï and Curator of Zoology at the Redpath Museum. She can speak to how climate change and shifting habitats are enabling ticks to spread into new regions.
virginie.millien [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)
Tick season returns each spring, bringing a renewed risk of Lyme disease. In Quebec, the number of reported cases has been rising in recent years.
Michael Libman, MD, is a Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and member of the Centre for Tropical Diseases at ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï. He can discuss the increase of Lyme disease cases and the northward spread of ticks, driven in part by climate change.
michael.libman [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)
Tick-borne pathogens, known for causing illnesses such as Lyme disease, are on the rise in Central Canada – presenting new risks in areas where they were never previously detected.
The findings from researchers at ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï and the University of Ottawa demonstrate the need for more comprehensive testing and tracking to detect the spread and potential risk of tick-borne pathogens to human and wildlife populations throughout Canada.
New research by ºÚÁÏÍø±¬³Ô¹Ï biologists shows that milder winters have led to physical alterations in two species of mice in southern Quebec in the past 50 years – providing a textbook example of the consequences of climate change for small mammals.
The findings also reveal a stark reversal in the proportions of the two mice populations present in the area, adding to evidence that warming temperatures are driving wildlife north. Â
