A Tick Census In Newtown—

Tracking The Uptick In Disease Bearing Ticks

By John Voket

On Friday, November 14, a team of tick collectors was back in town. Dr Eva Sapi, assistant professor of biology and environmental science at the University of New Haven, first came to Newtown in November 2007, collecting ticks at the Newtown Middle School, at Fairfield Hills at the southern end of Al’s Trail and at the northern end of Al’s Trail off Hanover Road.

For several years, Dr Sapi has been conducting local and regional research on ticks, both their abundance and the diseases they carry. And according to Newtown Health District Director Donna Culbert, Dr Sapi’s 2007 results were not encouraging.

“The results of the tick analysis for the collected ticks indicated that between 65 to 75 percent of the ticks collected were positive for containing the spirochete that causes Lyme,” Ms Culbert told The Bee this week, following the sampling. “We may not yet be able to conclude that the entire town exhibits that rate, but the results do indicate that in those specific areas, where our families and community members walk and play, we had a high infectivity rate.”

The health director said this year’s outcome of Dr Sapi’s efforts will add to that body of knowledge. Her team collected data from wooded areas behind Head O’ Meadow School, at the Orchard Hill Nature Center, and Walnut Tree Hill ball fields.

“Again, these are areas where we walk and play, and they are also reaching further out into the geographic area of town, which may tell us more about trends of infectivity,” Ms Culbert said. “In addition, this year’s collected ticks will be tested for Babesia as well as the spirochetes that cause Lyme disease.”

Babesia is another tick-borne illness that the black-legged tick, also known as deer tick, can transmit.

“The Health District is receiving more lab reports of Babesia in patients’ blood work,” Ms Culbert said. “It’s important to note that the lab reports may not be a direct relationship of disease diagnosis and number of cases, but the report numbers are certainly an indicator of what’s going on.”

The Health District reports that in the past five years, the number of Babesia labs reports have escalated. In 2004, there were 9 reports; in 2005, 10 reports; in 2006, 29 reports, in 2007, 32 reports, and in 2008 to date, 34 reports.

Ms Culbert stressed that these trends are not corresponding to the number of cases of disease. She said, “Disease is diagnosed based upon a clinician’s examination and blood work, but it certainly is something to be concerned about.”

Dr Sapi conducted her 2008 tick census with the assistance of four students, Akshita Datar, Chaitanya Gobburi, Seema Patel, and Raghavender R. Patlolla.

At two of the four collection points, the health director said she watched as they all donned one-piece white mesh suits, meant to protect them from crawling ticks. They also applied repellent on top of the suits, to further deter the insects from transferring to their clothing.

“Dr Sapi was quite diligent in ensuring that the collectors were checking themselves and each other,” Ms Culbert observed. “Dr Sapi has had Lyme disease, the students have not.”

Ms Culbert described their method of collection, dragging a white cloth attached to a pole across and around shrubs, stone walls, and any protuberances in the landscape. The ticks clung to the white cloth and were ultimately collected by the team.

The collectors each had a test tube and fine-tipped tweezers to retrieve the ticks from the cloth and capture them in the test tube.

“I spent time with the group at Head O’ Meadow School and then again at Orchard Hill, where I followed them partway into the woods,” Ms Culbert said. “But not having donned the protective gear, I was reluctant to go very far into the woods.”

She said, however, that even though the shrubs were bare of foliage, ticks were still on them, and the very few she brushed against produced two ticks that clung to Ms Culbert’s light colored pants.

When the results come in, the Health District plans to share the data with the community. It is not determined when the results will be available for Newtown, as Dr Sapi is doing similar work in other towns in Fairfield County as well.

Thanks to a donation of extra funds from the Newtown Rotary and the Newtown Lyme Disease Task Force, the samples collected by Dr Sapi in this most recent census will also be tested for Bartonella, which can result in a companion diagnosis of Bartonellosis.

According to documentation supplied by Maggie Shaw of the Newtown Lyme Task Force, Bartonellosis is known to be caused by a bacteria carried by fleas and body lice. But scientists suspect ticks are a source of infection in some human cases of Bartonellosis.

People who recall being bitten by ticks have been co-infected with Lyme and Bartonella. Bartonellosis is often mild, but in serious cases it can affect the whole body.

Early signs are fever, fatigue, headache, poor appetite, and an unusual, streaked rash. Swollen glands are typical, especially around the head, neck, and arms. Lymph nodes may be enlarged and the throat can be sore.

Ms Culbert said as a result of last year’s findings (65–75 percent positive for bacteria that causes Lyme) the Health District partnered with the Newtown Parks and Recreation Department and the school district to get warning signs up in the many areas of town where residents may walk and play.

“I just can’t say it enough — don’t be complacent,” Ms Culbert said. “There are so many ticks out there, and many of them are infected and they want you to be their next blood meal, if they get the chance. Tick-borne disease is serious business.”