Jenna Lawrence | Co-Managing Editor
Last week, a new tick-borne disease was discovered in Connecticut's first human case. The disease Rickettsia parkeri rickettsiosis, transmitted by the Gulf Coast tick, had its first human case reported on Monday by The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. R. parkeri is similar to Rocky Mountain spotted fever but with less severe symptoms. Cases of this emerging disease have been reported in the southeastern region of the US, however, this is the first case found in the Northeast.
Dr. Goudarz Molaei, PhD, a professor at the Yale School of Public Health and medical entomologist, suggested possible reasons for the range expansion of the ticks that carry this illness. These factors include rising global temperatures, ecological changes, reforestation, and increased travel. Additionally, global warming and climate change will continue to cause these ticks and other related pathogens to expand their range to different regions of the country.
The Gulf Coast tick was originally found in regions along the Gulf of Mexico and the southern Atlantic coast, but populations of it have been found in states, such as Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. Another factor in the spread of the tick is thought to be migrating grassland birds. The Gulf Coast tick is often confused with the American dog tick.
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