Molecular epidemiology of tick Rhabdoviruses and molecular identification of tick species in Canada

Abstract

Ticks are important vectors of pathogens that pose significant threats to human and animal health in Canada. With the onset of climate change, tick geographic ranges are changing and expanding in Canada, raising concerns for increased disease burden of tick-borne pathogens and highlighting the need for continued comprehensive surveillance of endemic tick species and circulating pathogens. This thesis reports the identification of two novel tick-rhabdoviruses circulating in Dermacentor andersoni and Ixodes auritulus tick populations, respectively, in western Canada, and the first documentation of Ixodes scapularis, the primary Lyme Disease vector of eastern Canada, found off migratory birds on Vancouver Island. These findings contribute to our understanding of tick ecology and pathogen transmission dynamics, informing future public health and wildlife disease management strategies and emphasize the importance of a comprehensive surveillance system in Canada.