Jean-Philippe Rocheleau is part of the team of six co-researchers from the University of Montreal, the University of Sherbrooke and Bishop University, who will conduct the study. The specialist in epidemiology and public health has carried out several investigations into the link between ticks and the transmission of Lyme disease across Canada. An observation emerges regarding efforts to raise awareness among the population to protect themselves against this scourge.
“We realized that when it comes to moving from theory to practice, people have several hesitations, or missing information which makes it difficult for them to make choices. We therefore want to better support citizens.”
Jean-Philippe Rocheleau is part of the group of six co-researchers who are leading the research project. (Taken from the Internet)
In fact, some mice carry the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Blacklegged ticks, which have an average lifespan of two years, are infected by the bacteria when they are in the larval stage, feeding on the blood of rodents. They subsequently become nymphs, just before the adult stage. This is when they transmit the bacteria to humans by biting them, mainly when they begin to be active in spring (between 4 to 10 degrees Celsius). The infected person can then develop Lyme disease if not treated promptly.
Among the preferred environments for ticks are wooded areas and long grass.
Field and web tools
The study, which will be structured around several groups, will be officially launched in January 2025. This is when the recruitment of participants will begin. “The first contacts with (selected]households will take place around the spring of the same year,” mentioned Mr. Rocheleau.
Among the particularities, one of the control groups will only have access to specific information on this parasitic mite and the means to protect themselves via the PraTique site. “It’s a very interesting platform,” said Jean-Philippe Rocheleau. For the first time, it completely popularizes all the available measures.”
Members of another group will have access to information on the web, in addition to having a home visit (approximately 3 hours) from the team of researchers. We will then evaluate family activities and situations that put them at risk of contact with ticks. We will also look at what means they are prepared to implement to curb the proliferation of these parasitic mites in their environment. The specialists will then guide them to take action. “This could be installing a fence against deer or ensuring a minimum presence of small rodents on their land,” listed the spokesperson for the group of researchers.
Landscaping companies or cooperatives will also be included in the research group, in particular to evaluate the costs of various specific projects.
A forum will also be created so that participants can exchange ideas with each other and a specialist will answer questions from group members.
More than 200 families
The researchers plan to target the municipalities that will demonstrate the greatest interest in participating in the process. “Above all, we want cities to help us with communications with citizens,” specified Jean-Philippe Rocheleau.
Once the municipalities have been determined, citizens who wish to participate in the study will be able to express themselves. “We will make large-scale announcements in these regions. The number of households that will have home visits will, however, be limited. And, as in any good research project, the groups will be formed randomly,” indicated the man who teaches in the Animal Health department of the Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe and then at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Montreal.
We hope to recruit a little more than 200 families. Specialists will visit nearly a third of households. There will be no conditions for geographical distribution. But, the municipalities chosen must be in areas at risk of transmission of Lyme disease by ticks. “We are targeting, among other things, people who live on the edge of a forest,” the specialist cited as an example, “or in places where there is a population of deer. [un des hôtes principaux des tiques] more abundant.”
