Connecticut State The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Summary of Tick Testing Results for 2009

A total of 4031 ticks feeding on humans were submitted for identification in 2009. Of these, 1802* were tested for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative organism of Lyme disease, and 676 (37.5%) 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

3672

Dermacentor variabilis

American Dog Tick

285

Amblyomma americanum

Lone Star Tick

63

Ixodes cookei

(normally on woodchucks)

1

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

2005

6123

5897

1613

27

2006

4855

2314*

520

22

2007

2602

1388

479

35

2008

3120

1470

340

23

2009

3669

1768

666

38

*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 2009. 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

2

1

0

0.00%

Ashford

Mansfield

Avon

18

10

7

70.00%

Barkhamsted

2

2

2

100.00%

Beacon Falls

Seymour

2

0

0

0.00%

Berlin

Wethersfield

4

2

1

50.00%

Bethany

North Haven

8

5

1

20.00%

Bethel

46

19

9

47.37%

Bethlehem

Torrington

Bloomfield

6

3

1

33.33%

Bolton

Mansfield

Bozrah

Norwich

Branford

20

11

6

54.55%

Bridgeport

11

6

2

33.33%

Bridgewater

Newtown

Bristol

32

16

3

18.75%

Brookfield

61

25

10

40.00%

Brooklyn

2

1

1

100.00%

Burlington

Bristol

2

2

2

100.00%

Canaan

Torrington

Canterbury

Brooklyn

Canton

7

5

2

40.00%

Chaplin

Mansfield

Cheshire

76

28

8

28.57%

Chester

Clinton

Old Saybrook

2

1

0

0.00%

Colchester

4

1

1

100.00%

Colebrook

1

0

0

0.00%

Columbia

Mansfield

Cornwall

Torrington

Coventry

Mansfield

2

2

1

50.00%

Cromwell

5

2

1

50.00%

Danbury

5

3

2

66.67%

Darien

166

65

24

36.92%

Deep River

Old Saybrook

Derby

Seymour

4

1

1

100.00%

Durham

2

2

0

0.00%

East Granby

1

1

1

100.00%

East Haddam

East Hampton

4

3

1

33.33%

East Hampton

14

6

1

16.67%

East Hartford

2

0

0

0.00%

East Haven

Branford

6

2

0

0.00%

East Lyme

Groton

2

2

1

50.00%

East Windsor

Enfield

1

1

1

100.00%

Eastford

Brooklyn

1

1

0

0.00%

Easton

26

9

2

22.22%

Ellington

Enfield

1

0

0

0.00%

Enfield

8

5

2

40.00%

Essex

1

0

0

0.00%

Fairfield

7

6

3

50.00%

Farmington

6

2

1

50.00%

Franklin

1

1

0

0.00%

Glastonbury

9

3

2

66.67%

Goshen

Torrington

Granby

7

5

1

20.00%

Greenwich

1

0

0

0.00%

Griswold

Groton

62

24

11

45.83%

Guilford

18

10

2

20.00%

Haddam

East Hampton

20

9

3

33.33%

Hamden

North Haven

18

9

4

44.44%

Hampton

Brooklyn

Hartford

5

3

2

66.67%

Hartland

2

1

1

100.00%

Harwinton

Torrington

1

1

0

0.00%

Hebron

East Hampton

1

1

0

0.00%

Kent

Torrington

1

1

0

0.00%

Killingly

Brooklyn

2

2

1

50.00%

Killingworth

4

2

1

50.00%

Lebanon

Ledyard

Groton

Lisbon

Litchfield

Torrington

Lyme

Madison

5

3

0

0.00%

Manchester

9

4

2

50.00%

Mansfield

19

11

5

45.45%

Marlborough

East Hampton

Meriden

7

5

0

0.00%

Middlebury

20

13

5

38.46%

Middlefield

1

1

1

100.00%

Middletown

4

2

0

0.00%

Milford

46

24

12

50.00%

Monroe

Trumbull

1

1

1

100.00%

Montville

Norwich

Morris

Torrington

Naugatuck

Seymour

New Britain

25

16

3

18.75%

New Canaan

93

64

25

39.06%

New Fairfield

7

3

0

0.00%

New Hartford

7

2

2

100.00%

New Haven

19

11

2

18.18%

New London

Groton

New Milford

13

7

2

28.57%

Newington

Wethersfield

Newtown

299

117

51

43.59%

Norfolk

Torrington

North Branford

Branford

North Canaan

Torrington

North Haven

31

20

6

30.00%

North Stonington

2

1

1

100.00%

Norwalk

309

146

52

35.62%

Norwich

8

3

2

66.67%

Old Lyme

1

0

0

0.00%

Old Saybrook

14

6

0

0.00%

Orange

16

10

5

50.00%

Oxford

Southbury

1

1

1

100.00%

Plainfield

Brooklyn

1

1

0

0.00%

Plainville

3

0

0

0.00%

Plymouth

Torrington

1

0

0

0.00%

Pomfret

Brooklyn

Portland

East Hampton

Preston

Prospect

Cheshire

Putnam

Brooklyn

Redding

67

30

12

40.00%

Ridgefield

145

61

20

32.79%

Rocky Hill

Wethersfield

3

2

1

50.00%

Roxbury

Newtown

14

7

3

42.86%

Salem

Salisbury

Torrington

Scotland

Mansfield

Seymour

114

72

33

45.83%

Sharon

1

1

1

100.00%

Shelton

Seymour

1

1

1

100.00%

Sherman

1

1

0

0.00%

Simsbury

40

18

4

22.22%

Somers

1

1

1

100.00%

South Windsor

7

2

1

50.00%

Southbury

156

73

27

36.99%

Southington

43

17

8

47.06%

Sprague

Norwich

Stafford

Enfield

Stamford

423

189

63

33.33%

Sterling

Brooklyn

Stonington

4

1

1

100.00%

Stratford

50

18

5

27.78%

Suffield

Enfield

1

0

0

0.00%

Thomaston

Torrington

Thompson

Brooklyn

Tolland

Mansfield

1

1

0

0.00%

Torrington

348

180

72

40.00%

Trumbull

123

56

20

35.71%

Union

Brooklyn

Vernon

Enfield

1

0

0

0.00%

Voluntown

Wallingford

20

11

6

54.55%

Warren

Torrington

Washington

Waterbury

23

20

8

40.00%

Waterford

Groton

Watertown

Torrington

West Hartford

Bloomfield

4

2

1

50.00%

West Haven

2

1

0

0.00%

Westbrook

1

0

0

0.00%

Weston

Westport

1

0

0

0.00%

Westport

92

79

27

34.18%

Wethersfield

11

3

1

33.33%

Willington

Mansfield

1

0

0

0.00%

Wilton

263

109

40

36.70%

Winchester

Torrington

Windham

Enfield

Windsor

8

4

1

25.00%

Windsor Locks

Enfield

Wolcott

Cheshire

Woodbridge

North Haven

13

12

6

50.00%

Woodbury

Southbury

Woodstock

Brooklyn

3

2

0

0.00%