A group of researchers at one New Brunswick university have been putting their heads together to bring some clarity to a disease that remains wrapped in mystery.
Lyme disease is a “nasty” and notoriously tough to diagnose disease and the number of cases of it in Canada is climbing exponentially. In 2009 there were 144 reported cases and in 2016 there were 987, though still not much is known about it.
Mount Allison University has established a Lyme Research Network and aims to get some answers.
“When you’re sick what you want to be able to do is go to your doctor, have a clear diagnosis, a simple test that works really well and then get effective treatment, that’s the goal of this research,” says Dr. Vett Lloyd, a Mount A. biology professor and leading Canadian tick and Lyme disease researcher.
“We’re certainly not there, but the hope with the research is we get there to at least understand more about the bacteria that causes the disease, more about how you get the disease and also more about what it’s doing to your body,” says Dr. Lloyd.
Fourteen researchers formed the network and are from a variety of different disciplines.
“We took an interdisciplinary approach so looking it not just as a biology problem, but a biology problem that affects people, and families, and communities,” says Dr. Lloyd.
With funding to the network from the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation, nine Mount A students will spend this summer doing research on Lyme disease.
It was recently announced that over a two year period the provincial department of health will be studying the geographic range of black legged ticks, which can transmit Lyme disease through a bite.
