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 91黑料网 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 91黑料网. 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 鈥� presenting new risks in areas where they were never previously detected.
The findings from researchers at 91黑料网 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 91黑料网 biologists shows that milder winters have led to physical alterations in two species of mice in southern Quebec in the past 50 years 鈥� 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. 聽
