Summary of Tick Testing Results for 2005

A total of 6461 ticks feeding on humans were submitted for identification in 2005. Of these, 5978 were tested for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative organism of Lyme disease, and 1613 (27%) were found to carry this organism.  The names of the tick species and numbers of specimens received are shown in the table below.

Name of Species

Common Name

Total

Ixodes scapularis
Black-legged ("deer") Tick
6123

Dermacentor variabilis

American Dog Tick

257

Amblyomma americanum

Lone Star Tick

64

Ixodes cookei

(normally on woodchucks)

9

Ixodes marxi

(normally on squirrels)

3

Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Brown Dog Tick

3

Ixodes pacificus

(acquired in California)

2

Most of the ticks received by us are the black-legged or “deer” ticks. Below is a table comparing the numbers and infection rates of deer ticks over the past five years.

Year
Total Identified
Total Tested
Total Positive
Percent Positive

2001

5849

5588

1434

26

2002

6437

6212

1770

28

2003

5886

5673

1735

31

2004

4495

4231

1645

39

2005

6123

5897

1613

27

The number of deer ticks submitted from each town and the number infected are summarized by town for the year 2005. If the town is served by a health district, its totals are included with the town listed in the second column. For example, Ansonia is served by the Naugatuck Valley Health District, which is located in Seymour. Any ticks that may have been received from Ansonia through the health district are included in the totals for Seymour. Any ticks received from individuals in Ansonia would be listed separately for Ansonia. Those totals reflect the data for all the towns served by the health district. For a directory of local health departments and districts, see the state website at www.state.ct.us/dph/local_health/localhealthdir.htm.

Town

Health District Town

Total Identified

Total Tested

Total Positive

Percent Positive

Andover

Mansfield

Ansonia

Seymour

Ashford

Mansfield

Avon

289

285

82

28.77%

Barkhamsted

Avon

1

1

0

0.00%

Beacon Falls

Seymour

Berlin

Wethersfield

1

1

0

0.00%

Bethany

North Haven

14

14

4

28.57%

Bethel

31

30

9

30.00%

Bethlehem

Torrington

1

1

0

0.00%

Bloomfield

0

0

0

Bolton

Mansfield

2

2

0

0.00%

Bozrah

Norwich

Branford

71

70

15

21.43%

Bridgeport

19

19

4

21.05%

Bridgewater

Newtown

Bristol

15

9

1

11.11%

Brookfield

75

71

18

25.35%

Brooklyn

Killingly

Burlington

Bristol

4

4

0

0.00%

Canaan

Torrington

Canterbury

Killingly

Canton

Avon

1

1

0

0.00%

Chaplin

Mansfield

Cheshire

105

104

25

24.04%

Chester

2

2

0

0.00%

Clinton

Old Saybrook

13

13

2

15.38%

Colchester

4

4

0

0.00%

Colebrook

Avon

Columbia

Mansfield

Cornwall

Torrington

Coventry

Mansfield

Cromwell

2

2

2

100.00%

Danbury

10

10

1

10.00%

Darien

298

289

87

30.10%

Deep River

Old Saybrook

Derby

Seymour

Durham

4

3

2

66.67%

East Granby

Avon

East Haddam

East Hampton

4

4

3

75.00%

East Hampton

3

3

1

33.33%

East Hartford

0

0

0

East Haven

Branford

East Lyme

Groton

4

4

0

0.00%

East Windsor

Enfield

Eastford

Killingly

Easton

56

53

16

30.19%

Ellington

Enfield

Enfield

14

14

5

35.71%

Essex

0

0

0

Fairfield

22

21

9

42.86%

Farmington

Avon

Franklin

0

0

0

Glastonbury

18

18

6

33.33%

Goshen

Torrington

1

1

0

0.00%

Granby

Avon

2

2

0

0.00%

Greenwich

179

178

56

31.46%

Griswold

9

8

0

0.00%

Groton

152

144

40

27.78%

Guilford

45

43

12

27.91%

Haddam

9

9

3

33.33%

Hamden

North Haven

11

11

2

18.18%

Hampton

Killingly

1

1

0

0.00%

Hartford

7

7

1

14.29%

Hartland

Avon

Harwinton

Torrington

Hebron

East Hampton

6

6

1

16.67%

Kent

Torrington

3

3

0

0.00%

Killingly

3

3

1

33.33%

Killingworth

7

7

1

14.29%

Lebanon

1

1

0

0.00%

Ledyard

Groton

9

8

2

25.00%

Lisbon

0

0

0

Litchfield

Torrington

Lyme

0

0

0

Madison

8

8

1

12.50%

Manchester

4

3

2

66.67%

Mansfield

29

27

9

33.33%

Marlborough

East Hampton

Meriden

12

11

2

18.18%

Middlebury

20

19

7

36.84%

Middlefield

4

4

0

0.00%

Middletown

15

14

3

21.43%

Milford

37

36

5

13.89%

Monroe

Trumbull

Montville

Norwich

Morris

Torrington

Naugatuck

Seymour

1

1

0

0.00%

New Britain

17

10

1

10.00%

New Canaan

361

346

100

28.90%

New Fairfield

31

29

6

20.69%

New Hartford

Avon

8

8

1

12.50%

New Haven

21

19

5

26.32%

New London

Groton

1

1

1

100.00%

New Milford

56

52

24

46.15%

Newington

Wethersfield

1

1

0

0.00%

Newtown

463

447

124

27.74%

Norfolk

Torrington

North Branford

Branford

3

3

0

0.00%

North Canaan

0

0

0

North Haven

58

57

16

28.07%

North Stonington

0

0

0

Norwalk

333

329

87

26.44%

Norwich

17

13

4

30.77%

Old Lyme

8

7

0

0.00%

Old Saybrook

9

9

1

11.11%

Orange

25

25

4

16.00%

Oxford

Southbury

4

4

0

0.00%

Plainfield

Killingly

Plainville

5

5

0

0.00%

Plymouth

Torrington

1

1

1

100.00%

Pomfret

Killingly

1

1

1

100.00%

Portland

East Hampton

1

1

0

0.00%

Preston

0

0

0

Prospect

Cheshire

1

1

0

0.00%

Putnam

Killingly

Redding

93

84

21

25.00%

Ridgefield

241

228

68

29.82%

Rocky Hill

Wethersfield

1

1

1

100.00%

Roxbury

Newtown

17

17

8

47.06%

Salem

0

0

0

Salisbury

Torrington

Scotland

Mansfield

Seymour

125

124

31

25.00%

Sharon

0

0

0

Shelton

Seymour

6

6

0

0.00%

Sherman

6

6

1

16.67%

Simsbury

Avon

2

2

1

50.00%

Somers

0

0

0

South Windsor

2

2

0

0.00%

Southbury

278

262

64

24.43%

Southington

47

37

7

18.92%

Sprague

Norwich

Stafford

Enfield

1

1

0

0.00%

Stamford

505

485

128

26.39%

Sterling

Killingly

Stonington

1

1

1

100.00%

Stratford

46

45

13

28.89%

Suffield

Enfield

Thomaston

Torrington

1

1

1

100.00%

Thompson

Killingly

Tolland

Mansfield

1

1

0

0.00%

Torrington

743

722

222

30.75%

Trumbull

154

150

40

26.67%

Union

Killingly

Vernon

Enfield

3

3

0

0.00%

Voluntown

0

0

0

Wallingford

31

29

9

31.03%

Warren

Torrington

Washington

0

0

0

Waterbury

38

32

14

43.75%

Waterford

Groton

9

9

5

55.56%

Watertown

Torrington

West Hartford

Bloomfield

4

4

0

0.00%

West Haven

1

1

0

0.00%

Westbrook

3

3

0

0.00%

Weston

Westport

2

2

0

0.00%

Westport

297

292

71

24.32%

Wethersfield

6

6

1

16.67%

Willington

Mansfield

Wilton

349

338

84

24.85%

Winchester

Torrington

3

3

0

0.00%

Windham

Enfield

Windsor

6

6

2

33.33%

Windsor Locks

Enfield

Wolcott

Cheshire

Woodbridge

North Haven

16

16

4

25.00%

Woodbury

Southbury

1

1

0

0.00%

Woodstock

Killingly

1

1

0

0.00%