Connecticut State The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Summary of Tick Testing Results for 2006

A total of 5163 ticks feeding on humans were submitted for identification in 2006. Of these, 2387* were tested for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative organism of Lyme disease, and 520 (22%) 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
4855

Dermacentor variabilis

American Dog Tick

235

Amblyomma americanum

Lone Star Tick

67

Ixodes cookei

(normally on woodchucks)

3

Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Brown Dog Tick

3

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

2002

6437

6212

1770

28

2003

5886

5673

1735

31

2004

4495

4231

1645

39

2005

6123

5897

1613

27

2006

4855

2314*

520

22

*Note:  Effective January 1, 2006, unengorged ticks will not be tested for Borrelia burgdorferi.  Research has shown that unengorged ticks, those that have not ingested blood, are unlikely to transmit the disease organism.

The number of deer ticks submitted from each town and the number infected are summarized by town for the year 2006. 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

Hlth. Dist. Town

Total Identified

Total Tested

Total Positive

Percent Positive

Andover

Mansfield

Ansonia

Seymour

Ashford

Mansfield

Avon

306

150

38

25.33%

Barkhamsted

Avon

Beacon Falls

Seymour

Berlin

Wethersfield

5

2

0

0.00%

Bethany

North Haven

10

8

3

37.50%

Bethel

38

19

3

15.79%

Bethlehem

Torrington

Bloomfield

12

5

2

40.00%

Bolton

Mansfield

Bozrah

Norwich

Branford

37

15

3

20.00%

Bridgeport

21

10

0

0.00%

Bridgewater

Newtown

1

0

0

0.00%

Bristol

29

14

2

14.29%

Brookfield

53

27

8

29.63%

Brooklyn

Killingly

Burlington

Bristol

3

0

0

0.00%

Canaan

Torrington

Canterbury

Killingly

Canton

Avon

1

0

0

0.00%

Chaplin

Mansfield

Cheshire

116

53

11

20.75%

Chester

1

0

0

0.00%

Clinton

Old Saybrook

5

2

0

0.00%

Colchester

2

2

1

50.00%

Colebrook

Avon

Columbia

Mansfield

Cornwall

Torrington

Coventry

Mansfield

Cromwell

0

0

0

Danbury

9

7

0

0.00%

Darien

322

151

36

23.84%

Deep River

Old Saybrook

Derby

Seymour

2

2

1

50.00%

Durham

7

2

0

0.00%

East Granby

Avon

East Haddam

East Hampton

1

1

0

0.00%

East Hampton

7

4

1

25.00%

East Hartford

3

2

1

50.00%

East Haven

Branford

2

1

0

0.00%

East Lyme

Groton

2

2

0

0.00%

East Windsor

Enfield

2

0

0

0.00%

Eastford

Killingly

Easton

11

5

1

20.00%

Ellington

Enfield

1

0

0

0.00%

Enfield

8

4

2

50.00%

Essex

2

1

0

0.00%

Fairfield

15

6

0

0.00%

Farmington

Avon

Franklin

0

0

0

Glastonbury

21

10

1

10.00%

Goshen

Torrington

1

0

0

0.00%

Granby

Avon

1

0

0

0.00%

Greenwich

11

9

2

22.22%

Griswold

1

1

0

0.00%

Groton

177

78

14

17.95%

Guilford

16

7

3

42.86%

Haddam

11

8

1

12.50%

Hamden

North Haven

12

9

5

55.56%

Hampton

Killingly

Hartford

5

3

1

33.33%

Hartland

Avon

Harwinton

Torrington

Hebron

East Hampton

4

1

0

0.00%

Kent

Torrington

Killingly

9

4

2

50.00%

Killingworth

9

4

1

25.00%

Lebanon

1

0

0

0.00%

Ledyard

Groton

2

2

1

50.00%

Lisbon

0

0

0

Litchfield

Torrington

Lyme

0

0

0

Madison

6

1

0

0.00%

Manchester

5

2

0

0.00%

Mansfield

25

12

2

16.67%

Marlborough

East Hampton

1

1

0

0.00%

Meriden

21

16

5

31.25%

Middlebury

29

16

5

31.25%

Middlefield

4

2

1

50.00%

Middletown

9

4

1

25.00%

Milford

39

26

4

15.38%

Monroe

Trumbull

1

1

0

0.00%

Montville

Norwich

Morris

Torrington

1

1

0

0.00%

Naugatuck

Seymour

New Britain

26

13

3

23.08%

New Canaan

256

108

13

12.04%

New Fairfield

21

16

5

31.25%

New Hartford

Avon

4

1

1

100.00%

New Haven

32

22

5

22.73%

New London

Groton

New Milford

21

13

2

15.38%

Newington

Wethersfield

2

1

0

0.00%

Newtown

376

166

35

21.08%

Norfolk

Torrington

North Branford

Branford

North Canaan

0

0

0

North Haven

33

24

6

25.00%

North Stonington

0

0

0

Norwalk

273

114

27

23.68%

Norwich

11

5

2

40.00%

Old Lyme

10

9

4

44.44%

Old Saybrook

8

4

2

50.00%

Orange

18

12

0

0.00%

Oxford

Southbury

1

0

0

0.00%

Plainfield

Killingly

Plainville

2

0

0

0.00%

Plymouth

Torrington

1

0

0

0.00%

Pomfret

Killingly

Portland

East Hampton

2

1

1

100.00%

Preston

2

2

1

50.00%

Prospect

Cheshire

2

2

0

0.00%

Putnam

Killingly

Redding

51

22

8

36.36%

Ridgefield

136

53

12

22.64%

Rocky Hill

Wethersfield

Roxbury

Newtown

6

4

1

25.00%

Salem

0

0

0

Salisbury

Torrington

6

6

0

0.00%

Scotland

Mansfield

Seymour

93

43

9

20.93%

Sharon

1

1

0

0.00%

Shelton

Seymour

2

1

0

0.00%

Sherman

0

0

0

Simsbury

Avon

7

4

1

25.00%

Somers

1

0

0

0.00%

South Windsor

6

2

1

50.00%

Southbury

192

88

25

28.41%

Southington

59

31

10

32.26%

Sprague

Norwich

Stafford

Enfield

Stamford

290

126

24

19.05%

Sterling

Killingly

Stonington

0

0

0

Stratford

52

26

6

23.08%

Suffield

Enfield

Thomaston

Torrington

Thompson

Killingly

Tolland

Mansfield

1

1

0

0.00%

Torrington

796

371

97

26.15%

Trumbull

150

78

9

11.54%

Union

Killingly

Vernon

Enfield

3

3

1

33.33%

Voluntown

0

0

0

Wallingford

23

9

1

11.11%

Warren

Torrington

Washington

2

1

1

100.00%

Waterbury

28

12

3

25.00%

Waterford

Groton

1

0

0

0.00%

Watertown

Torrington

1

1

0

0.00%

West Hartford

Bloomfield

West Haven

4

1

0

0.00%

Westbrook

3

3

1

33.33%

Weston

Westport

Westport

75

66

10

15.15%

Wethersfield

10

3

0

0.00%

Willington

Mansfield

Wilton

267

111

27

24.32%

Winchester

Torrington

1

1

0

0.00%

Windham

Enfield

Windsor

3

1

0

0.00%

Windsor Locks

Enfield

Wolcott

Cheshire

Woodbridge

North Haven

25

16

3

18.75%

Woodbury

Southbury

1

1

1

100.00%

Woodstock

Killingly

2

2

0

0.00%