Connecticut State The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Summary of Tick Testing Results for 2007

A total of 2805 ticks feeding on humans were submitted for identification in 2007. Of these, 1420* were tested for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative organism of Lyme disease, and 481 (34%) 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

2602

Dermacentor variabilis

American Dog Tick

159

Amblyomma americanum

Lone Star Tick

36

Ixodes cookei

(normally on woodchucks)

5

Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Brown Dog Tick

2

Ixodes dentatus

(normally on rabbits)

1

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

2003

5886

5673

1735

31

2004

4495

4231

1645

39

2005

6123

5897

1613

27

2006

4855

2314*

520

22

2007

2602

1388

479

35

*Note:  As of January 1, 2006, unengorged ticks are no longer being 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 2007. 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 https://www.han.ct.gov/local_health/.

Town

Hlth. Dist. Town

Total Identified

Total Tested

Total Positive

Percent Positive

Andover

Mansfield

Ansonia

Seymour

Ashford

Mansfield

Avon

113

68

28

41.18%

Barkhamsted

Avon

1

1

0

0.00%

Beacon Falls

Seymour

Berlin

Wethersfield

10

6

3

50.00%

Bethany

North Haven

2

2

1

50.00%

Bethel

23

11

3

27.27%

Bethlehem

Torrington

Bloomfield

7

2

0

0.00%

Bolton

Mansfield

Bozrah

Norwich

Branford

19

10

2

20.00%

Bridgeport

5

2

0

0.00%

Bridgewater

Newtown

1

0

0

0.00%

Bristol

12

8

1

12.50%

Brookfield

33

21

7

33.33%

Brooklyn

Killingly

3

3

1

33.33%

Burlington

Bristol

2

0

0

0.00%

Canaan

Torrington

Canterbury

Killingly

1

0

0

0.00%

Canton

Avon

1

1

0

0.00%

Chaplin

Mansfield

Cheshire

71

42

19

45.24%

Chester

2

1

1

100.00%

Clinton

Old Saybrook

Colchester

2

1

0

0.00%

Colebrook

Avon

Columbia

Mansfield

Cornwall

Torrington

Coventry

Mansfield

1

1

0

0.00%

Cromwell

Danbury

4

3

0

0.00%

Darien

139

75

18

24.00%

Deep River

Old Saybrook

Derby

Seymour

1

0

0

0.00%

Durham

3

2

1

50.00%

East Granby

Avon

East Haddam

East Hampton

2

0

0

0.00%

East Hampton

1

1

1

100.00%

East Hartford

2

1

0

0.00%

East Haven

Branford

2

1

0

0.00%

East Lyme

Groton

1

1

1

100.00%

East Windsor

Enfield

Eastford

Killingly

Easton

3

1

0

0.00%

Ellington

Enfield

1

0

0

0.00%

Enfield

9

3

1

33.33%

Essex

1

0

0

0.00%

Fairfield

9

7

3

42.86%

Farmington

Avon

1

1

0

0.00%

Franklin

Glastonbury

13

6

4

66.67%

Goshen

Torrington

Granby

Avon

2

2

0

0.00%

Greenwich

3

2

0

0.00%

Griswold

1

1

1

100.00%

Groton

120

59

19

32.20%

Guilford

18

12

2

16.67%

Haddam

11

8

0

0.00%

Hamden

North Haven

2

2

1

50.00%

Hampton

Killingly

1

1

1

100.00%

Hartford

1

0

0

0.00%

Hartland

Avon

Harwinton

Torrington

Hebron

East Hampton

2

1

1

100.00%

Kent

Torrington

1

0

0

0.00%

Killingly

1

0

0

0.00%

Killingworth

1

0

0

0.00%

Lebanon

1

0

0

0.00%

Ledyard

Groton

Lisbon

Litchfield

Torrington

Lyme

Madison

1

0

0

0.00%

Manchester

5

4

0

0.00%

Mansfield

17

10

4

40.00%

Marlborough

East Hampton

Meriden

7

3

1

33.33%

Middlebury

14

6

1

16.67%

Middlefield

2

2

0

0.00%

Middletown

2

1

1

100.00%

Milford

19

9

4

44.44%

Monroe

Trumbull

2

1

0

0.00%

Montville

Norwich

1

0

0

0.00%

Morris

Torrington

3

2

0

0.00%

Naugatuck

Seymour

1

0

0

0.00%

New Britain

22

12

4

33.33%

New Canaan

88

57

25

43.86%

New Fairfield

12

3

1

33.33%

New Hartford

Avon

5

2

2

100.00%

New Haven

15

10

2

20.00%

New London

Groton

New Milford

28

15

4

26.67%

Newington

Wethersfield

1

0

0

0.00%

Newtown

204

89

30

33.71%

Norfolk

Torrington

North Branford

Branford

1

0

0

0.00%

North Canaan

Torrington

North Haven

25

21

6

28.57%

North Stonington

Norwalk

187

86

25

29.07%

Norwich

8

4

3

75.00%

Old Lyme

3

2

1

50.00%

Old Saybrook

1

0

0

0.00%

Orange

10

6

1

16.67%

Oxford

Southbury

2

2

2

100.00%

Plainfield

Killingly

Plainville

5

2

1

50.00%

Plymouth

Torrington

Pomfret

Killingly

Portland

East Hampton

3

1

1

100.00%

Preston

Prospect

Cheshire

Putnam

Killingly

1

1

1

100.00%

Redding

49

25

11

44.00%

Ridgefield

98

51

24

47.06%

Rocky Hill

Wethersfield

1

1

0

0.00%

Roxbury

Newtown

14

6

2

33.33%

Salem

1

1

0

0.00%

Salisbury

Torrington

Scotland

Mansfield

Seymour

54

22

13

59.09%

Sharon

1

1

0

0.00%

Shelton

Seymour

1

0

0

0.00%

Sherman

2

1

0

0.00%

Simsbury

Avon

5

4

3

75.00%

Somers

South Windsor

7

5

3

60.00%

Southbury

135

51

26

50.98%

Southington

33

17

3

17.65%

Sprague

Norwich

Stafford

Enfield

Stamford

161

72

22

30.56%

Sterling

Killingly

Stonington

3

1

1

100.00%

Stratford

23

13

7

53.85%

Suffield

Enfield

Thomaston

Torrington

Thompson

Killingly

Tolland

Mansfield

1

1

1

100.00%

Torrington

269

175

56

32.00%

Trumbull

86

41

11

26.83%

Union

Killingly

Vernon

Enfield

3

2

1

50.00%

Voluntown

Wallingford

16

7

2

28.57%

Warren

Torrington

Washington

Waterbury

15

11

2

18.18%

Waterford

Groton

Watertown

Torrington

1

1

1

100.00%

West Hartford

Bloomfield

West Haven

2

0

0

0.00%

Westbrook

Weston

Westport

1

1

0

0.00%

Westport

58

53

13

24.53%

Wethersfield

2

0

0

0.00%

Willington

Mansfield

Wilton

181

93

33

35.48%

Winchester

Torrington

Windham

Enfield

Windsor

10

7

3

42.86%

Windsor Locks

Enfield

Wolcott

Cheshire

1

1

0

0.00%

Woodbridge

North Haven

3

1

0

0.00%

Woodbury

Southbury

2

1

1

100.00%

Woodstock

Killingly

2

1

0

0.00%