Yale Tickborne Disease Prevention Study Has Room For 200 More Homes

By John Voket

According to Yale Tick Study Program Coordinator, Julie Ray, as of April 21, there have been 307 households enrolled in the regional Lyme and Other Tickborne Diseases Prevention Study (LTDPS). In addition, there have been 278 potential participants determined to be ineligible, 51 refused to participate and three people have withdrawn from the study.

Of these 307 enrollees, 103 live in the Newtown Health District jurisdiction – 57 in Newtown, 32 in Sandy Hook, five in Bridgewater, and nine in Roxbury, health district Director Donna Culbert told The Bee this week.

“In addition to the good number of local homeowners we already have, the enrollment end date has been extended to May 8,” Ms Culbert announced. “Study organizers have confidence that they will be able to meet the goal of 500 participants from the 9 participant towns.”

The Yale School of Public Health’s Emerging Infections Program (EIP) is recruiting homeowners in Newtown and eight other Fairfield County communities to participate in the Lyme and other tick-borne diseases prevention study (LTDPS).

Individuals with single-family homes on at least half an acre of property may be eligible to participate in the study, co-sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Connecticut Department of Public Health.

“Basically we want to know if a single application of a common acaricide can reduce tick populations and as a result, tick-borne disease,” she said. “There is nothing experimental about the application, though. It is similar to what homeowners might contract themselves from a commercial pest control service.”

As part of the study, half the properties will receive a single springtime application of this widely-used pesticide and the other half a placebo (water) to control ticks. The one-time spraying will only be around the yard perimeter.

Following the application, participants will be interviewed by telephone at the beginning of the study and complete e-mail surveys at monthly intervals from May through October to assess their encounters with ticks (e.g., numbers attached and numbers found crawling on people) and the number of tick-borne illnesses among household residents.

Findings from the treated properties will be compared to those from the placebo properties to determine if a springtime application of the commonly used pesticide can reduce rates of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses, according to Yale’s EIP spokesperson.

While Ms Culbert awaits the final outcome of the study signup program, she and her staff are already seeing the results of a stretch of wet, warm weather in recent days.

“As of April 26, the Newtown Health District has received 42 ticks for submission to the state Agricultural Experiment Station for testing for the spirochetes that cause Lyme Disease,” she noted. “Last year, at this time, the Health District had received 32 ticks.”

She reminded health district residents that the Ag Station only test ticks that have consumed blood – so if a tick has not consumed blood, it is only identified and not tested. So far this season, 17 of the 42 ticks have been processed by the Ag Station, and only four of them had consumed blood and were tested.

“But of those four, two have been positive,” she said.

To bolster the district’s effort to educate residents about tick-borne disease and its prevention, Ms Culbert spent most of referendum day Tuesday at the Middle School with her BLAST display and literature to engage residents about the public health concern. BLAST refers to a comprehensive way to reduce tick-borne diseases.

“Although not everyone would stop, most everyone seemed to appreciate the message,” Ms Culbert said. “So many people thanked me for being there, having information, and trying to keep the message elevated. I am just so thankful that they are receptive and take it seriously.”

She said “only a few people of the dozens she spoke with have not had some sort of experience with tickborne disease, either directly or through a family member, friend, or pet.”

During the six hours she spent at the referendum, Ms Culbert estimates she handed out hundreds of pieces of literature and easily exposed 1,000 or more residents to the BLAST display, which advocates a multi-step process for managing and eliminating avenues of exposure to tickborne illness.

“It is early in the season, but the ticks are out there and we are about to enter nymph season, when the ticks are so small, they are barely perceptible,” the health district director said. “May through July is nymph season, and it is critically important to take all the steps necessary to protect oneself and family members.”

To request more information or to enroll in the study, call 888-668-1856 or contact the health district office at 203-270-4291.