Ticking Time Bomb? Gulf Coast Ticks Spotted In CT
CONNECTICUT — In addition to all the out-of-state humans moving into the state due to coronavirus concerns, we now have a new species of tick population to worry about as well.
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station is reporting that the Gulf Coast tick successfully established a population over the winter in Fairfield County. That's a first for this species in Connecticut, and it's also its debut in all the Northeast, according to Dr. Goudarz Molaei, a research scientist who also directs the CAES Tick Surveillance and Testing Program.
The tick is common in Central and South American countries bordering the Gulf of Mexico, and can also be found in 14 US states, mostly along the Gulf Coast. "But recently this tick has been on the move and expanding its range, and the recent range expansion has been reported in Maryland and Delaware," Molaei said.
This is the fourth "important" tick species to set up shop in Connecticut, according to Molaei. It follows on the tiny heels of the black-legged, lone star, and dog ticks.
The new-to-our-area bug is not just a nuisance, it can transmit spotted fever. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, spotted fevers can range from mild to life-threatening. Most people who get sick with a spotted fever (other than the Rocky Mountain variety) will develop a dark scab at the site of tick or mite bite, fever, headache and rash. The disease is usually treated with doxycycline.
Previously, Connecticut researchers have found isolated one-sies and two-sies of the bug which were likely brought north by birds, but this is the first time we have an established population. In 2017-18, the lone star tick expanded its hunting grounds into Fairfield County, and moved into New Haven County two years later.
Why now? Molaei told Patch that "climate change in conjunction with other factors including some ecological changes" created the conditions for these species of tick to move here and set up shop.
The Bug's Here. Now What?
"Unfortunately, our resources are limited," Molaei said. "Once a species of tick or mosquito comes and establishes a population, it's very difficult to control. And sadly we have to try and deal with the presence of that species and try to limit its public health impact."
Insidiously, your new 8-legged neighbors have expanded their horizons. We've always been mindful of ticks when traveling in wooded areas in Connecticut, but now we should be equally alert near the shore, according to Molaei . He says he has been collecting Gulf Coast tick specimens in coastal areas where there is very little vegetation.
"We have to protect ourselves, cover ourselves, use repellents and pesticides, and after outdoor activity, when we return we have to do a diligent tick-check," the entomologist advised.
"Diligent" may be too soft a word. Molaei said that the new tick in its juvenile stage is just as problematic as the adult, only it is "smaller than a pinhead."
Although we humans can protect ourselves in all the usual ways against the Gulf Coast tick, none of that will help our dogs. Your best friend can contract the debilitating American canine hepatozoonosis by eating Gulf Coast ticks. Once infected, dogs can carry and pass on the infection for the rest of their lives.
This article originally appeared on the Across Connecticut Patch
