Summary of Tick Testing Results for 2002

Summary of Tick Testing Results for 2002

A total of 6824 ticks feeding on humans were submitted for identification in 2002. Of these, 6267 were tested for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative organism of Lyme disease, and 1785 (28%) 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

6437

Dermacentor variabilis

American Dog Tick

329

Amblyomma americanum

Lone Star Tick

53

Amblyomma maculatum

(acquired in Central America)

1

Ixodes cookei

(normally on woodchucks)

1

Ixodes marxii

(normally on squirrels)

1

Ixodes pacificus

(acquired in California)

1

Rhipicephalus sanguineus

Brown Dog 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 deer ticks over the past five years.

Year

Total Identified

Total Tested

Total Positive

Percent Positive

1998

4401

4101

1064

26

1999

6679

6337

1491

24

2000

6687

6299

1501

24

2001

5849

5588

1434

26

2002

6437

6212

1770

28

The number of deer ticks submitted from each town and the number infected are summarized by town for the year 2002. 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 Shelton. Any ticks that may have been received from Ansonia through the health district are included in the totals for Shelton. 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 http://www.dph.state.ct.us/Local_health/localmap.asp?bar=1.

Town

Hlth. Dist. Town

Total Identified

Total Tested

Total Positive

Percent Positive

Andover

0

0

0

0.00%

Ansonia

Shelton

3

3

0

0.00%

Ashford

Killingly

Avon

276

272

83

30.51%

Barkhamsted

Avon

Beacon Falls

Shelton

Berlin

4

4

0

0%

Bethany

8

8

0

0%

Bethel

32

31

6

19.35%

Bethlehem

Torrington

Bloomfield

West Hartford

Bolton

Mansfield

Bozrah

0

0

0

0.00%

Branford

38

38

12

31.58%

Bridgeport

14

14

6

42.86%

Bridgewater

0

0

0

0.00%

Bristol

18

10

3

30.00%

Brookfield

30

30

7

23.33%

Brooklyn

Killingly

Burlington

Bristol

1

1

1

100.00%

Canaan

0

0

0

0.00%

Canterbury

Killingly

Canton

Avon

3

3

1

33.33%

Chaplin

0

0

0

0.00%

Cheshire

110

106

26

24.53%

Chester

1

1

0

0.00%

Clinton

11

11

3

27.27%

Colchester

5

5

2

40.00%

Colebrook

Avon

Columbia

0

0

0

0.00%

Cornwall

Torrington

3

2

1

50.00%

Coventry

Mansfield

Cromwell

1

1

0

00.00%

Danbury

6

6

2

33.33%

Darien

391

376

111

29.52%

Deep River

1

0

0

0.00%

Derby

Shelton

4

2

1

50.00%

Durham

3

3

1

33.33%

East Granby

Avon

1

1

1

100.00%

East Haddam

5

5

0

0.00%

East Hampton

11

10

4

40.00%

East Hartford

0

0

0

0.00%

East Haven

Branford

2

2

2

100.00%

East Lyme

0

0

0

0.00%

East Windsor

Enfield

Eastford

Killingly

Easton

43

40

12

30.00%

Ellington

Enfield

Enfield

13

13

2

15.38%

Essex

2

2

1

50.00%

Fairfield

38

34

11

33.33%

Farmington

Avon

Franklin

0

0

0

0.00%

Glastonbury

8

8

3

37.50%

Goshen

Torrington

Granby

Avon

3

3

0

0.00%

Greenwich

445

439

122

27.79%

Griswold

1

1

0

0.00%

Groton

57

55

16

29.09%

Guilford

78

78

25

32.05%

Haddam

3

3

0

0.00%

Hamden

North Haven

12

12

4

33.33%

Hampton

Killingly

Hartford

3

3

1

33.33%

Hartland

Avon

Harwinton

Torrington

Hebron

8

8

1

12.50%

Kent

Torrington

4

4

2

50.00%

Killingly

283

277

56

20.22%

Killingworth

1

1

1

100.00%

Lebanon

1

1

0

0.00%

Ledyard

0

0

0

0.00%

Lisbon

0

0

0

0.00%

Litchfield

Torrington

Lyme

0

0

0

0.00%

Madison

19

19

3

15.79%

Manchester

5

5

1

20.00%

Mansfield

30

30

4

13.33%

Marlborough

1

1

0

0.00%

Meriden

23

21

5

23.81%

Middlebury

23

23

9

39.13%

Middlefield

3

1

0

0.00%

Middletown

6

6

2

33.33%

Milford

16

16

3

18.75%

Monroe

76

76

16

21.05%

Montville

Norwich

3

3

1

33.33%

Morris

Torrington

Naugatuck

Shelton

New Britain

12

8

3

37.50%

New Canaan

299

286

94

32.87%

New Fairfield

38

36

6

16.67%

New Hartford

Avon

New Haven

38

37

10

27.03%

New London

0

0

0

0.00%

New Milford

48

48

15

31.25%

Newington

0

0

0

0.00%

Newtown

422

389

89

22.88%

Norfolk

Torrington

North Branford

Branford

North Canaan

0

0

0

0.00%

North Haven

39

39

9

23.08%

North Stonington

1

1

0

0.00%

Norwalk

334

333

112

33.63%

Norwich

11

9

0

0.00%

Old Lyme

2

2

0

0.00%

Old Saybrook

14

13

7

53.85%

Orange

26

26

9

34.62%

Oxford

Southbury

1

1

0

0.00%

Plainfield

Killingly

Plainville

1

1

0

0.00%

Plymouth

Torrington

1

1

1

100.00%

Pomfret

Killingly

1

1

0

0.00%

Portland

3

1

0

0.00%

Preston

0

0

0

0.00%

Prospect

Cheshire

Putnam

Killingly

Redding

2

2

1

50.00%

Ridgefield

156

145

44

30.34%

Rocky Hill

Wethersfield

1

1

0

0.00%

Roxbury

6

4

2

50.00%

Salem

0

0

0

0.00%

Salisbury

Torrington

1

1

1

100.00%

Scotland

0

0

0

0.00%

Seymour

Shelton

1

1

0

0.00%

Sharon

0

0

0

0.00%

Shelton

89

84

25

29.76%

Sherman

5

5

0

0.00%

Simsbury

Avon

5

5

0

0.00%

Somers

3

3

2

66.67%

South Windsor

5

5

2

40.00%

Southbury

268

262

78

29.77%

Southington

48

39

18

46.15%

Sprague

0

0

0

0.00%

Stafford

4

4

0

0.00%

Stamford

538

526

177

33.65%

Sterling

Killingly

Stonington

2

2

1

50.00%

Stratford

45

44

15

34.09%

Suffield

Enfield

Thomaston

Torrington

Thompson

Killingly

Tolland

Mansfield

Torrington

703

684

206

30.12%

Trumbull

105

98

25

25.51%

Union

Stafford

Vernon

Enfield

Voluntown

0

0

0

0.00%

Wallingford

14

14

2

14.29%

Warren

Torrington

Washington

1

1

1

100.00%

Waterbury

62

60

14

23.33%

Waterford

2

2

0

0.00%

Watertown

Torrington

West Hartford

14

14

3

21.43%

West Haven

5

5

1

20.00%

Westbrook

0

0

0

0.00%

Weston

Westport

1

1

0

0.00%

Westport

331

326

92

28.22%

Wethersfield

11

11

3

27.27%

Willington

0

0

0

0.00%

Wilton

509

488

125

25.61%

Winchester

Torrington

Windham

Enfield

Windsor

17

14

3

21.43%

Windsor Locks

Enfield

Wolcott

Cheshire

Woodbridge

North Haven

1

0

0

0.00%

Woodbury

Southbury

Woodstock

Killingly