August 24, 2020
The discovery of the Gulf Coast ticks at an undisclosed location in Fairfield County was announced on Monday, Aug. 24, 2020 by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. The ticks could cause the health concerns in both humans and dogs, the station said.
According to Dr. Goudarz Molaei, a research scientist who also directs the CAES Tick Surveillance and Testing Program, this is the first report of populations of the Gulf Coast tick in the northeastern United States.
“Considering the role of this species in transmission of pathogens of medical and veterinary importance, this finding highlights ongoing challenges associated with range expansion of tick species into Connecticut, a state already with pervasive populations of blacklegged ticks and established populations of lone star ticks.”