Do ticks in Connecticut carry Lyme disease?

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. In Connecticut it is spread to people through the bite of an infected Black-legged (“deer”) tick (Ixodes scapularis). It is the most commonly reported tick-borne disease in Connecticut and in the United States.

Is Lyme disease common in Connecticut?

Recently, the CDC estimated that there are approximately 10 times more people diagnosed with Lyme disease than the yearly reported number. Using the CDC estimate, approximately 30,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease each year in Connecticut.

How likely is a tick to carry disease?

Ticks prefer to live in wooded areas, low-growing grasslands, and yards. Not all ticks carry the Lyme disease bacteria. Depending on the location, anywhere from less than 1% to more than 50% of the ticks are infected with it. While most tick bites are harmless, several species can cause life-threatening diseases.

What are the symptoms of the new tick disease?

Symptoms of Borrelia miyamotoi miyamotoi infection causes flu-like symptoms, such as fever, chills, sweats, headache, joint pain, and fatigue. It can also cause a relapsing fever, in which symptoms improve and then return. Symptoms appear between 12 and 16 days after a tick bite.

What does a Connecticut tick look like?

Unfed females are about 1/8” long, with an orangish brown body and a dark brown plate located behind the mouthparts and legs. Males are smaller about 1/16” long, with a reddish brown overall body. Deer ticks climb grass and shrubs to wait for a passing host, and move very laterally.

Where are the most ticks in CT?

The study found the majority of ticks submitted for testing came from Fairfield and New Haven counties. However, infected ticks were found to be more prevalent in Windham, Tolland, and New London counties, where the incidence of Lyme disease was also found to be the highest.

What percentage of ticks carry Lyme disease in CT?

The more temperate conditions — and the growing deer population — have contributed to a sharp increase in deer ticks in Connecticut that carry Lyme disease, says the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. In 2019 testing of 3,517 blacklegged (deer) ticks, 35.7 percent carried Lyme disease.

Can you tell how long a tick has been attached?

Ticks can transmit several pathogens (especially viruses) in as little as 15 minutes. While it is true that the longer a tick is attached, the more likely it is able to transfer Lyme, no one really knows how long a tick needs to be attached to transmit infection. A minimum attachment time has NEVER been established.

When are ticks most active in CT?

Most prevalent tick-borne disease seen in CT. Most cases are contracted during the months of June, July, and August. This corresponds to the tick’s nymph stage. Symptoms include: fever, headache, fatigue, and a skin rash called erythema migrans (EM) or a “bull’s eye” rash (2-32 days after bite).

What types of ticks are in CT?

The two species of ticks most likely to be encountered in Connecticut are the wood or American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis) and the smaller black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus) often called the deer tick as white-tailed deer are a favored host.