Geneticks

***Open to Canadian residents only***

***You must follow the Lyme Ontario FB page***

To round up May, Lyme disease awareness month, Lyme Ontario has purchased 10 tick testing gift certificates from Geneticks.

These certificates are for the High Prevalence Panel which tests for;

General Borrelia species
Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (Lyme disease)
Borrelia miyamotoi (tick-borne relapsing fever)
Anaplasma phagocytophilum (human granulocytic anaplasmosis)
Babesia odocoilei (babesiosis)

These certificates are valid for one tick test only.

To win, please comment below on how you have raised awareness for the month of May.

Contest closes on Friday May 31 at noon, winners will be posted on our FB page the same day.

A huge thank you to Geneticks for all of their amazing work. And thank you to all of you for your support and awareness all year round!💚

Geneticks CEO and founder sat down with The Canadian Press to share about his own personal journey with Lyme disease and how that lead to the creation of Geneticks. With climate change and more mild winters Canadians are seeing more ticks from coast to coast, read more to find out what this means for growing tick exposure.

https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/national/as-canada-warms-infectious-disease-risks-spread-north/article_cf41a3d7-3ec6-5643-95c2-3df67defa6be.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share&s=08

Geneticks CEO and founder sat down with The Canadian Press to share about his own personal journey with Lyme disease and how that lead to the creation of Geneticks. With climate change and more mild winters Canadians are seeing more ticks from coast to coast, read more to find out what this means for growing tick exposure.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Canada/489318/infectious-disease-risks-spread-north

Geneticks CEO and founder sat down with The Canadian Press to share about his own personal journey with Lyme disease and how that lead to the creation of Geneticks. With climate change and more mild winters Canadians are seeing more ticks from coast to coast, read more to find out what this means for growing tick exposure.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Canada/489318/infectious-disease-risks-spread-north

Geneticks CEO and founder sat down with The Canadian Press to share about his own personal journey with Lyme disease and how that lead to the creation of Geneticks. With climate change and more mild winters Canadians are seeing more ticks from coast to coast, read more to find out what this means for growing tick exposure.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Canada/489318/infectious-disease-risks-spread-north

Geneticks CEO and founder sat down with The Canadian Press to share about his own personal journey with Lyme disease and how that lead to the creation of Geneticks. With climate change and more mild winters Canadians are seeing more ticks from coast to coast, read more to find out what this means for growing tick exposure.

https://www.castanet.net/news/Canada/489318/infectious-disease-risks-spread-north

Geneticks is dedicated not only to offering fast and reliable service to Canadians but also in educating as many people as possible about ticks and tickborne diseases. Whether that is on a small scale by answering individuals questions and concerns about ticks or on a larger scale by talking to different media outlets. Either way Geneticks is here to help.

This past week Geneticks founder and CEO Justin Wood sat down and spoke with about the upcoming tick season. Click the link below to read the article!
https://globalnews.ca/the-curator/10495649/prevent-tick-bites/

Powassan virus is a tick borne virus that was first discovered in Powassan Ontario in 1958. Though Powassan virus was first discovered in Canada there has been limited tick surveillance to determine its prevalence in Canadian Ticks.

In Canada, Powassan virus has been found in 3 tick species to date: ixodes scapulars, ixodes cookei, and ixodes marxi. As multiple species of ticks can act as vectors for this virus, we understand the importance of offering rapid testing for the presence of Powassan virus in ticks. Our Powassan testing is offered as an add on option, which allows you to include Powassan testing on any tick submitted, regardless of the panel selected.

Tick season has come early this year. In this video we demonstrate how to remove an attached tick with fine-tipped tweezers (these tweezers are provided in the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation and G. Magnotta Foundation for Vector-Borne Diseases tick removal kits). This tick, an adult blacklegged tick that had been attached for approximately five days, was tested under our Comprehensive panel, which tests for a total of 15 tick-borne pathogens alongside our new Powassan virus add-on option. Thankfully, this tick tested negative for all 17 tested pathogens, providing peace of mind for this customer.

With the short, mild winter and the unseasonably warm temperatures the risk of tick encounters is high this March. Be sure to do constant trick checks when out in the outdoors. It is important not only to check ourselves for ticks but to make sure that children and pets are checked over as well.

Our Mount Allison location in New Brunswick will be temporarily closed for the spring season. During this time ALL TICKS submitted to Geneticks for testing will need to be mailed to our Central Lab in Ontario. Ticks can be submitted to:

Geneticks Canada
P.O. Box 383, Uxbridge Station Main
Uxbridge, ON
L9P 1M8

We appreciate your patience. If ticks are mistakenly sent to the New Brunswick address, they will be automatically forwarded to our Central Ontario Laboratory.

The G Magnotta Lab has a new publication about Borrelia serology in chronic illness by Victoria Sanderson et al. Check out the summary on the G Magnotta Lab website (under publications) or use the link below or the one in our stories!

https://www.gmagnottaresearch.com/publications/2023/11/9/lyme-serology-in-chronic-illness

Make sure to do a tick check after you come in from trick-or-treating this year! Adult blacklegged ticks are still out and about during the fall season. Tick checks are an easy way to spot any ticks that may have hitched a ride on your spooky costumes!

Geneticks now offers Powassan virus testing as an add on option for all testing panels. This includes testing for Powassan Virus Lineage I and Powassan Virus Lineage II (Deer Tick Virus).

Powassan virus has been found in Ixodes cookei (groundhog ticks), Ixodes scapularis (blacklegged ticks), Ixodes marxi (squirrel ticks) and Dermacentor andersoni (rocky mountain wood ticks).

Powassan virus can cause fever, headache, vomiting, weakness, seizures, encephalitis and meningitis. If you have any signs or symptoms of Powassan virus following a tick bite you should seek medical attention immediately.

Of the ticks tested by Geneticks in 2022 Anaplasma phagocytophilum was the third most common tick-borne pathogen detected in both blacklegged and Western blacklegged ticks Canada wide.

Anaplasma phagocytophilum can cause Anaplasmosis in infected individuals with accompanying symptoms such as fever, headache, chills and muscle aches. Testing for anaplasma is included in our high prevalence, common infections, and comprehensive testing panels.

To learn more about Anaplasma phagocytophilum head on over to our newly updated statistics center!

Babesia odocoilei is a species of Babesia which has been identified as pathogenic to humans and prevalent in Canadian blacklegged ticks. Of the blacklegged ticks and Western blacklegged ticks submitted Canada wide in 2022, 11.73% tested positive for Babesia odocoilei making it the second most prevalent tick-borne pathogen that Geneticks sees in Blacklegged ticks.

Our newest panel, the High Prevalence panel offers affordable testing for Babesia odocoilei. This new panel also tests for Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum.

To learn more about Babesia odocoilei head on over to our newly updated statistics center! https://geneticks.ca/tick-testing-statistics/


🍁

Our 2022 statistic data is here! We have also visually overhauled our Statistics Center to create a cleaner and easier browsing experience. For more information and to explore this data for yourself, please visit: https://geneticks.ca/tick-testing-statistics/

Our 2022 data shows small increases in Borrelia species, Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme Disease), and Babesia odocoilei prevalence in Ixodes species ticks submitted from across Canada in 2022 compared to those submitted in 2021 (Borrelia species: 22.64% in 2021 vs 23.73% in 2022, B. burgdorferi: 21.57% in 2021 vs 22.86% in 2022, B. odocoilei: 9.15% in 2021 vs 11.73% in 2022). We also detected changes in the spatial distribution of blacklegged ticks carrying the causative agent of Lyme disease (B. burgdorferi) in 2022. For example, the prevalence of Borrelia detected in Ixodes species ticks submitted from the Wellington – Dufferin – Guelph health unit increased from an average of 3.34% across 2020-2021 (n= 47) to 21.43% in 2022 (n=28)).

This fall Geneticks is excited to announce important new changes! Check out our newest Press release to learn more. https://geneticks.ca/press-release-11-10-2023/

We are introducing a new testing panel, the High Prevalence Panel which tests for 5 highly prevalent tick-borne pathogens. These pathogens have been routinely detected through our monitoring of ticks over the past 5 years.

Lastly we have also updated our website! Changes to the website include: a more streamlined Tick Submission process, an updated aesthetic, and new features to make it easier for our francophone users to access our services.rne RNA virus which can cause severe illness such as encephalitis in affected individuals. This test can be added to any of our existing testing panels.

We are also introducing a same day turnaround testing option on our Lyme disease panel (ticks must be submitted to our Ontario location). This option guarantees Lyme disease testing results are returned on the same day the sample arrives at our laboratory. Samples must be delivered at our laboratory by 10am to qualify for same day turnaround testing.

Lastly we have also updated our website! Changes to the website include: a more streamlined Tick Submission process, an updated aesthetic, and new feature to make it easier for our francophone users to access our services.

The Geneticks team is excited to offer these new changes to better serve all of you tick testing needs as we head into another fall season.

Geneticks was honored to be a part of the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation panel discussion on The Quiet Endemic, a documentary about Lyme disease. Follow the link below to hear Geneticks founder Justin Wood speak to his experience with Lyme disease and how that led to the creation of Geneticks.



https://canlyme.com/2023/07/justin-wood-speaks-to-his-complicated-diagnosis-and-treatment-path/

Justin Wood speaks to his complicated diagnosis and treatment path Justin has a Lyme story that led him to take action and start his company, Geneticks.

Summer is here! The hot weather brings with it the active season for nymph blacklegged ticks. Nymph ticks are often harder to spot because of how small they are. Blacklegged nymph ticks are roughly the size of a freckle at 1 mm in length (unfed) and can grow up to 2 mm in length upon feeding. Nymph ticks can transmit all the same pathogens found in adult ticks, so it is important to be on the lookout for them during this summer season.

We are growing and our Ontario lab has moved to Uxbridge Ontario! Ticks can be mailed to our new Ontario lab for testing.

Geneticks Canada
P.O. Box 383, Uxbridge Station Main
Uxbridge ON
L9P 1M8.

If you are looking to drop off or courier a tick please contact us as the drop off location has also been changed. We look forward to continuing to service all your tick testing needs from our new location!

Thanks,
The Geneticks Team

You are invited to join Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation in the second part of The Quiet Epidemic global impact campaign on Sunday, 28 May @ 2.00pm EDT (11.00am PDT / 12.00pm MDT / 3.00pm ADT)
This one-hour live Q&A discussion with a panel of Lyme experts and patient voices will address your questions and concerns. Join in on the discussion, submit a question for the panel before or ask them live at the event!
Panel members:
- Janet Sperling: Entomologist, President, CanLyme
- Jim Wilson: Past President and Founder, CanLyme
- Dr. Sarah Keating: Anatomic Pathologist, CanLyme Board Member
- Justin Wood: Founder and CEO of Geneticks
- Elizabeth May: MP, current Leader of the Green Party of Canada
We hope to see you there! There is still time to watch the documentary and join in on the discussion. The on-demand screening of the critically acclaimed documentary, The Quiet Epidemic is available until May 27 11:59pm EDT, 2023
CanLyme is grateful for your help with raising awareness. https://canlyme.com/the-quiet-epidemic/

The Groundhog Tick aka Ixodes cookei

In 2022 61 groundhog ticks were submitted from across Canada to Geneticks for testing.

4.91% tested positive for Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease)

While groundhog ticks do not carry Lyme disease at the rate that blacklegged ticks carry it, it is still important to get them tested if you find one feeding on you or a loved one.

How to Safely Remove a Tick

1. Using fine tip tweezers, gently grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
2. Firmly pull the tick up and out of the skin.
3. Place the tick in a sealed ziplock baggie or container.
4. Check that no pieces of the tick remain in the skin.
5. Wash the site with alcohol or an antiseptic.
6. Submit your tick to Geneticks for testing!

https://www.geneticks.ca/submit-a-tick/

Doing regular tick checks after gardening is especially important this time of year. Over 117 people who submitted ticks to Geneticks for testing in 2022 indicated that they found the tick on them while gardening!

Doing regular tick checks after you come in from working in the garden can ensure that any ticks are removed as soon as possible! After the tick has been removed you can place it in a sealed ziplock baggie to send in to Geneticks for testing!

This week we had the opportunity to speak to Yahoo!style about the spread of Babesiosis in Canada. Babesiosis is a infection caused by a microorganism called a protozoa and requires a different treatment approach than what would generally be used for Lyme disease.

We at Geneticks routinely detect Babesia species in tick populations in Canada. With 11.73% of blacklegged ticks submitted in Canada testing positive for Babesia Odocoilei in 2022.

Testing for Babesia species, including B. Microti, B. Duncani and B. Odocoilei are all included within our Common Infections testing panel!

Interested in reading more? Check out the article below!

https://ca.style.yahoo.com/babesiosis-explainer-canada-194256991.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJjkPJEWvvS8CiH8z19P0rH7S7jrPoiV9_1jXRs_bWFN3PyxK9KJ3U3pTC1022xL615OHnot76rM6nLIeNrtirt-GAdEnqvVk8lmPoOCSzrBlpPjmHSb5pGXAOwfU7e8kLXOyrOAiuuhwc5rJmjH0WWTTIa6gPH80xcmgCo2KenQ

Ticks don't only affect humans and companion animals! In fact, ticks can be a problem for livestock and livestock handlers as well. As climate change allows tick and tick-borne diseases to continue to move north into Canada, livestock diseases such as Bovine Anaplasmosis are likely to become more prevalent. Unfortunately, ticks on domestic animals also provide an increased risk to their handlers. Ticks feeding on livestock will detach after feeding and progress to the next life stage or lay eggs in the local area. Newly molted or hatched ticks will then begin searching for a new host to feed on, which may be a human!

This animal has unfortunately been infested with multiple ticks, particularly in and around the ears. How many ticks can you count?