What Diseases Do New Jersey Ticks Carry?

Tick-borne diseases pose a significant risk, especially in residential areas like yours. In the northeastern United States, Lyme disease is most commonly contracted right at home. The prevalence of disease-carrying ticks on your property directly influences your risk of infection. Cowleys Pest Services offers tick control services throughout Mercer, Ocean, Monmouth, Somerset, & Middlesex County. We serve Somerset, Edison, Lakewood and more.

Lyme Disease: Deer Ticks, Lone Star Tick

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: American Dog Tick, Lone Star Tick

Tularemia: Lone Star Tick

What is Lyme Disease?

Lyme disease isn't something to underestimate. It's challenging to diagnose and, if left untreated, it can lead to severe and lasting damage to joints and the heart. Even pets like dogs, cats, and horses aren't spared from its effects. In the United States, Lyme disease tops the list as the most commonly reported vector-borne illness, with cases steadily increasing over the years. For instance, in 2002 alone, state health departments received reports of 23,000 cases, though the actual number could be much higher, with an estimated nine out of ten cases going undiagnosed and unreported.

In New Jersey, nearly half of deer ticks carry and can transmit Lyme disease. These tiny creatures pick up the bacteria from infected animals and pass it on to their hosts while feeding. The bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi, accounted for almost 5,000 reported cases in NJ in 2009, according to the NJ Department of Health. New Jersey ranks among the top eight states reporting over ninety percent of all Lyme disease cases nationwide. So, it's evident that Lyme disease is a significant concern in New Jersey.

When it comes to Lyme disease, many assume that deer are the main culprits. However, while deer serve as hosts to the deer tick, they aren't responsible for spreading the disease. Even if deer carry Lyme disease, they can't transmit it to ticks or other animals. Surprisingly, the primary carrier of Lyme disease is the white-footed mouse. These rodents harbor the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease, which ticks pick up while feeding on them. Subsequently, ticks can transmit the infected blood to humans and other animals. So, even without deer on your property, Lyme disease can still be a risk if white-footed mice are present.

What are the Symptons of Lyme Disease?

Symptoms of Lyme disease include a “bulls-eye” rash or ring-like rash developing 3 to 32 days after a tick bite. Symptoms may also include fever, headache, muscle and joint aches, significant fatigue, facial paralysis and cardiac arrhythmias. If you experience these symptoms seek medical attention immediately. If detected early, Lyme disease is often treatable with antibiotics. Late infection symptoms include intermittent or chronic arthritis and nervous system abnormalities. It is important to start antibiotic therapy to reduce the risk of arthritis, neurological, or cardiac complications.

The risk of being bitten by an infected deer tick is greatest in the summer months when the nymph stage is active and people, especially children, are most active outdoors.

What do Deer Have to do with Lyme Disease?

It is a common misconception -- perhaps because the Blacklegged tick or “deer tick” (lxodes scapularis) is the most common vector for Lyme disease -- that deer are the principal reservoir hosts. These ticks are referred to as deer ticks because they are dependent upon the white-tailed deer for reproduction. These ticks use deer as a final blood meal before dropping to produce thousands of eggs. As such, deer tick populations are directly correlated to deer densities. However, while deer facilitate the breeding of ticks, they are not directly responsible for transmitting Lyme disease.

Deer are considered “dead-end” or “dilution” hosts that rarely become infected with pathogens in stark contrast to rodents that do transfer a wide range of pathogens. Reducing deer population in large areas is an effective method of tick control and the risk of humans contracting Lyme disease. However, studies indicate that the reduction of the deer population in small areas may well be counterproductive. Research has shown that deer removal in small areas may create tick hot spots, increasing tick density especially those ticks that are infected with pathogens from rodents.

For more information about ticks and the diseases they carry, contact Cowleys Pest Services today. We offer pest control service in Lakewood, Somerset, Edison, Toms River, Brick, Bridgewater, Piscataway, Old Bridge, Middletown, Princeton Junction and surrounding New Jersey.

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