'Aggressive' Tick Species Is Expanding Its Reach In NJ

NEW JERSEY — The lone star tick, an aggressive pest that carries several human diseases, is rapidly expanding across the Northeast, including in New Jersey, according to a study released this week.

The tick's range previously reached no further north than South Jersey, but there are now established populations farther north, according to scientists at Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases and Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-borne Diseases.

In the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers wrote that in addition to expanding the tick's range, climate change may also lengthen the pest's active season.

According to the Dec. 5 New England Journal of Medicine article, there are established lone star tick populations in these New Jersey counties:

• Atlantic
• Burlington
• Camden
• Cape May
• Cumberland
• Mercer
• Middlesex
• Monmouth
• Ocean
• Salem
• Somerset

The expanding tick population has been a growing concern in New Jersey.

A Rutgers-led team published the first scientific list of tick species confirmed in New Jersey earlier this year, recommending tick surveillance across the state since rainy weather could cause a surge.

Related:

• Here Are The Biting Ticks In NJ: Very High Number Of Lyme Cases
• Rare, Dangerous Tick Species Now Confirmed In 7 NJ Counties

Lone star ticks do not spread Lyme disease, but they carry a number of other human diseases. Among them is alpha-gal syndrome, a type of red meat allergy, and STARI, which is similar to Lyme disease.

"More than 90% of the nearly 60,000 cases of nationally notifiable vectorborne diseases reported in 2017 were linked to ticks. As the geographic ranges of multiple tick species continue to expand, invasive tick species are being discovered, new tickborne pathogens are emerging, and coinfections in ticks are surging," the authors wrote. "Local abundance of lone star ticks and the likelihood of getting multiple bites can be highly irritating, even in the absence of disease transmission."

Having both lone star ticks and pre-existing populations of deer ticks "complicates management strategies," they note.

The number of lone star ticks submitted to The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station increased by 58 percent from the period of 1996-2006 to 2007-2017, according to a study by the same authors.

In their traditional range, adult lone star ticks are most active from mid-March through late June, nymps, mid-May through late July, and larvae, July through September, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

"We believe it’s essential for practitioners and the public to develop a heightened awareness of the health risks associated with emergent tick vectors such as the lone star tick and their potential for changing the dynamics of tickborne diseases in the northeastern United States and elsewhere," the authors wrote.