NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A Connecticut resident has been diagnosed with the Northeast's first human case of a rare tick-borne illness.
Researchers at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, or CAES, reported on Monday that the first locally-transmitted case of Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis was found in Connecticut. The illness, which is transmitted by the Gulf Coast tick, is similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever, but the symptoms tend to be milder.
The illness adds to a growing list of tick-borne illnesses that threaten Connecticut residents and those of neighboring states. These include Lyme disease, which was originally diagnosed here in Connecticut, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, Powassan virus disease and ehrlichiosis.
Cases of the disease have previously been found in Southeastern states.
The Gulf Coast tick's distribution area -- where it tends to be found -- has been growing. In 1944, the arachnid was only found in the Gulf Coast region, including parts of Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina. In 2024, it has expanded to include the entire area of most of those states (excluding Texas) and expanded to at least 15 others.
“Rising global temperatures, ecological changes, reforestation, and increases in commerce and travel are important underlying factors influencing the rate and extent of range expansion of ticks and associated pathogens," explained Dr. Goudarz Molaei, a research scientist and medical entomologist who also directs the CAES Passive Tick and Tick-Borne Disease Surveillance Program, in a statement. "It is anticipated that warming temperatures related to climate change may lead to the continued range expansion and abundance of several tick species, increasing their importance as emerging threats to humans, domesticated animals, and wildlife."
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Molaei said the first confirmed colony of the Gulf Coast ticks was found in Connecticut in 2021, with nearly 30% of them infected with the disease.
"The rapidly changing dynamics and evolving risks of tick-borne diseases across this region reinforce the need for awareness of and education for tick bite prevention strategies, including the use of repellents registered with the Environmental Protection Agency and performing regular and thorough tick-checks following exposures to tick-infested areas,” Molaei added.
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