Connecticut State The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Summary of Tick Testing Results for 2008

A total of 3404 ticks feeding on humans were submitted for identification in 2008. Of these, 1534* were tested for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative organism of Lyme disease, and 345 (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

3126

Dermacentor variabilis

American Dog Tick

207

Amblyomma americanum

Lone Star Tick

62

Amblyomma maculatum

Gulf Coast Tick

2

Amblyomma species

(species undetermined)

2

Ixodes cookei

(normally on woodchucks)

2

Ixodes dentatus

(normally on rabbits)

2

Ixodes ricinus

Sheep Tick

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 Connecticut deer ticks over the past five years.

Year

Total Identified

Total Tested

Total Positive

Percent Positive

2004

4495

4231

1645

39

2005

6123

5897

1613

27

2006

4855

2314*

520

22

2007

2602

1388

479

35

2008

3120

1470

340

23

*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 2008. 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

14

4

2

50.00%

Barkhamsted

8

4

1

25.00%

Beacon Falls

Seymour

Berlin

Wethersfield

5

4

3

75.00%

Bethany

North Haven

5

3

1

33.33%

Bethel

27

17

7

41.18%

Bethlehem

Torrington

1

1

0

0.00%

Bloomfield

12

7

0

0.00%

Bolton

Mansfield

2

2

1

50.00%

Bozrah

Norwich

Branford

28

16

4

25.00%

Bridgeport

8

3

1

33.33%

Bridgewater

Newtown

Bristol

38

17

7

41.18%

Brookfield

63

23

4

17.39%

Brooklyn

3

2

0

0.00%

Burlington

Bristol

Canaan

Torrington

Canterbury

Brooklyn

3

2

0

0.00%

Canton

17

7

3

42.86%

Chaplin

Mansfield

Cheshire

59

30

5

16.67%

Chester

3

1

0

0.00%

Clinton

Old Saybrook

1

0

0

0.00%

Colchester

3

3

1

33.33%

Colebrook

Columbia

Mansfield

Cornwall

Torrington

Coventry

Mansfield

1

0

0

0.00%

Cromwell

1

0

0

0.00%

Danbury

5

2

1

50.00%

Darien

165

71

18

25.35%

Deep River

Old Saybrook

Derby

Seymour

Durham

4

2

0

0.00%

East Granby

5

4

0

0.00%

East Haddam

East Hampton

2

1

0

0.00%

East Hampton

3

1

0

0.00%

East Hartford

1

0

0

0.00%

East Haven

Branford

1

1

0

0.00%

East Lyme

Groton

East Windsor

Enfield

1

1

1

100.00%

Eastford

Brooklyn

Easton

13

10

5

50.00%

Ellington

Enfield

3

0

0

0.00%

Enfield

12

8

1

12.50%

Essex

1

1

0

0.00%

Fairfield

7

7

0

0.00%

Farmington

16

6

2

33.33%

Franklin

Glastonbury

8

2

1

50.00%

Goshen

Torrington

Granby

11

7

1

14.29%

Greenwich

1

1

0

0.00%

Griswold

2

0

0

0.00%

Groton

119

54

16

29.63%

Guilford

20

13

1

7.69%

Haddam

East Hampton

22

14

2

14.29%

Hamden

North Haven

12

8

2

25.00%

Hampton

Brooklyn

Hartford

4

2

1

50.00%

Hartland

2

1

1

100.00%

Harwinton

Torrington

1

0

0

0.00%

Hebron

East Hampton

3

3

1

33.33%

Kent

Torrington

Killingly

Brooklyn

Killingworth

2

1

1

100.00%

Lebanon

Ledyard

Groton

Lisbon

Litchfield

Torrington

Lyme

Madison

8

4

0

0.00%

Manchester

7

5

0

0.00%

Mansfield

15

8

1

12.50%

Marlborough

East Hampton

1

1

0

0.00%

Meriden

7

4

0

0.00%

Middlebury

22

10

4

40.00%

Middlefield

1

1

1

100.00%

Middletown

5

3

1

33.33%

Milford

25

13

1

7.69%

Monroe

Trumbull

1

1

0

0.00%

Montville

Norwich

3

0

0

0.00%

Morris

Torrington

Naugatuck

Seymour

New Britain

26

15

1

6.67%

New Canaan

70

39

10

25.64%

New Fairfield

8

2

0

0.00%

New Hartford

13

5

3

60.00%

New Haven

15

10

1

10.00%

New London

Groton

New Milford

13

3

1

33.33%

Newington

Wethersfield

Newtown

260

110

15

13.64%

Norfolk

Torrington

North Branford

Branford

1

0

0

0.00%

North Canaan

Torrington

North Haven

49

29

8

27.59%

North Stonington

Norwalk

217

95

17

17.89%

Norwich

5

2

0

0.00%

Old Lyme

6

2

1

50.00%

Old Saybrook

4

2

1

50.00%

Orange

8

6

2

33.33%

Oxford

Southbury

5

2

0

0.00%

Plainfield

Brooklyn

Plainville

1

0

0

0.00%

Plymouth

Torrington

1

1

0

0.00%

Pomfret

Brooklyn

1

1

0

0.00%

Portland

East Hampton

3

3

0

0.00%

Preston

Prospect

Cheshire

Putnam

Brooklyn

Redding

65

33

6

18.18%

Ridgefield

128

48

10

20.83%

Rocky Hill

Wethersfield

Roxbury

Newtown

18

9

2

22.22%

Salem

1

1

0

0.00%

Salisbury

Torrington

2

1

1

100.00%

Scotland

Mansfield

Seymour

67

35

6

17.14%

Sharon

2

1

0

0.00%

Shelton

Seymour

3

1

1

100.00%

Sherman

Simsbury

25

15

4

26.67%

Somers

1

1

0

0.00%

South Windsor

5

1

0

0.00%

Southbury

121

56

15

26.79%

Southington

33

12

3

25.00%

Sprague

Norwich

Stafford

Enfield

2

2

1

50.00%

Stamford

188

80

17

21.25%

Sterling

Brooklyn

Stonington

1

0

0

0.00%

Stratford

34

13

4

30.77%

Suffield

Enfield

Thomaston

Torrington

Thompson

Brooklyn

Tolland

Mansfield

3

0

0

0.00%

Torrington

384

179

52

29.05%

Trumbull

97

43

14

32.56%

Union

Brooklyn

Vernon

Enfield

3

3

1

33.33%

Voluntown

Wallingford

17

9

3

33.33%

Warren

Torrington

1

1

1

100.00%

Washington

Waterbury

23

14

3

21.43%

Waterford

Groton

1

0

0

0.00%

Watertown

Torrington

West Hartford

Bloomfield

2

0

0

0.00%

West Haven

6

4

2

50.00%

Westbrook

Weston

Westport

Westport

61

58

9

15.52%

Wethersfield

6

2

0

0.00%

Willington

Mansfield

Wilton

219

99

20

20.20%

Winchester

Torrington

1

1

1

100.00%

Windham

Enfield

1

1

0

0.00%

Windsor

11

6

2

33.33%

Windsor Locks

Enfield

Wolcott

Cheshire

Woodbridge

North Haven

4

1

0

0.00%

Woodbury

Southbury

Woodstock

Brooklyn