Manitoba sees record number of lyme disease cases

StarPhoenix - Saskatoon,Saskatchewan,Canada
Manitoba health officials are reporting a record five cases of lyme disease in 2005.

Until last year, there had only been two cases on record in the province's history.

Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria that can be carried by a deer tick the size of a sesame seed.

The disease can cause flu-like symptoms and a bulls eye-like rash, and left untreated it can lead to complications of the heart, nervous system or joints.

Experts have suspected there aren't enough deer ticks in Manitoba to breed here.

They think the ticks are coming into the province as hitchhikers on back of American birds from Minnesota and Wisconsin, where the ticks breed.