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ABSTRACT The geographic range and occurrence of tick species is dynamic. This has important public health implications due to important tick species that can transmit pathogens. This study presents a retrospective review of tick genera recovered from humans and submitted for identification in Alberta, Canada, over a 19-year period. The total number of ticks and proportion of genera were analyzed over time. Molecular testing for a number of pathogens associated with Ixodes scapularis and I. pacificus was conducted. A total of 2,358 ticks were submitted between 2000 and 2019, with 98.6% being acquired in Alberta. The number of ticks submitted increased significantly over time ( p  < 0.0001). Dermacentor ticks were the most abundant genus, followed by Ixodes and Amblyomma . There was a significant decrease in the proportion of Dermacentor ticks between 2013 and 2019 ( p  = 0.02), with a corresponding increase in the proportion of Ixodes ticks over the same time ( p  = 0.04). No statistically significant change in seasonality was identified. Borrelia burgdorferi was detected in 8/76 (10.5%; 95% CI 5.4-19.4%) of all I. scapularis and I. pacificus ticks submitted. This translated to a B. burgdorferi positivity of 0.35% (95% CI 0.15-0.68%) among all ticks received. Dermacentor species (especially D. andersoni ) remains the most common tick feeding on humans in Alberta. Small numbers of vector species (including I. scapularis/pacificus ) are encountered annually over widely separated geographic areas in the province. The risk of exposure to tick-borne pathogens (e.g. Lyme disease) in Alberta remains low.

Questionnaires were sent to 462 physical therapists in Edmonton, Canada, to determine the prevalence of work-related low back pain (LBP) and to characterize those who reported pain. Of the 311 (67.3%) valid questionnaires returned. 49.2% reported back pain due to work. The occurrence rates of work-related LBP among physical therapists in Edmonton was higher than that of the general population reported in Canada (27%), Great Britain (27%), and the United States (26-29%). There was no significant difference (p < or = 0.05) between those with and without work-related LBP. The initial onset of work-related LBP frequently occurred within the first 5 years of practice as a physical therapist, and before the age of 30. Hospitals and private practices were the most prevalent work settings in which injury occurred. Patient handling, bending, stooping, lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling were the commonly described activities causing precipitation of injury. The severity of back discomfort had been sufficient to require 13.7% of therapists to stop their work. Despite LBP, 35.3% of the pain sufferers continued to work. Over half (55.4%) of the respondents with current work-related LBP demonstrated little or no disability.