04/24/2025
Ticks are on the rise! New tick species carrying disease vectors has emerged in CT. Read below:
Hiding in the tall grass and wooded areas of Connecticut, ticks are beginning to emerge in Connecticut.
Goudarz Molaei, a research scientist and medical entomologist who directs the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Passive Tick and Tick-Borne Disease Surveillance Program, said that the organization has already begun to receive tick specimens for this year. Molaei said that he is anticipating that this will be a typical year for ticks based on his findings.
Goudarz Molaei, a research scientist and medical entomologist who directs the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Passive Tick and Tick-Borne Disease Surveillance Program, said that the organization has already begun to receive tick specimens for this year. Molaei said that he is anticipating that this will be a typical year for ticks based on his findings.
Molaei said the "relatively cold winter," did not kill them. According to the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in New York, blacklegged ticks, or deer ticks, "hunker down" below leaf litter in cold temperatures and can "re-activate" during warm weather spells.
"My concern is not only the native species that we have in the region. We are dealing with a few invasive species that are creating major problems," Molaei said. One such species is Asian longhorned ticks, which were noticed in Connecticut in 2018 and have become an issue for Fairfield and New Haven counties.
"We are learning more about these species and the fact that they are capable of transmitting some of the diseases that they may carry in their native and invasive range, but they are also picking up some of the pathogens that native species transmit and start transmitting them," Molaei said.
For example, the Asian longhorned tick is capable of carrying 30 different pathogens, according to Molaei. "Unforunately, we live in an area (where) we are dealing with pervasive populations of native ticks and expanding populations of invasive tick species," Molaei said, adding that in Connecticut, there are approximately 12 different tick-borne diseases in Connecticut. One of those diseases is R. parkeri rickettsiosis, which emerged with its first human case in Connecticut last year. Similar to Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, the disease can cause symptoms like fever, headaches, rash and muscle aches. It is spread by the Gulf Coast tick. According to Molaei, the Gulf Coast tick was first observed in the state in 2021 with these ticks boasting a 30% infection rate with R. parkeri rickettsiosis. Molaei said he expects to continue dealing with R. parkeri rickettsiosis this year as well.
Molaei noted that while some tick-borne diseases are benign, some could be fatal, which was the case in 2022 when a New London County woman died from the Powassan virus, which is normally spread by an infected deer tick. If a Connecticut resident has a question regarding a tick that they have found, they can send the tick to a local health department, who will then send it to CAES for identification and testing for tick-borne diseases.
Article link:
https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/ticks-connecticut-asian-longhorned-winter-20225465.php
