Deer Tick Surveillance: Nymphs (May to Sept) excluding Powassan virus: Beginning 2008
health.data.ny.gov | Last Updated 16 Mar 2023This dataset provides the results from collecting and testing nymph deer ticks, also known as blacklegged ticks, or by their scientific name <i>Ixodes scapularis</i>. Collection and testing take place across New York State (excluding New York City) from May to September, when nymph deer ticks are most commonly seen. Nymph deer ticks are individually tested for different bacteria and parasites, which includes the bacteria responsible for Lyme disease. These data should simply be used to educate people that there is a risk of coming in contact with ticks and tick-borne diseases. These data only provide nymph tick infections at a precise location and at one point in time. Both measures, tick population density and percentage, of ticks infected with the specified bacteria or parasite can vary greatly within a very small area and within a county. These data should not be used to broadly predict disease risk for a county. Further below on this page you can find links to tick prevention tips, a video on how to safely remove a tick, and more datasets with tick testing results. Interactive charts and maps provide an easier way to view the data.
This dataset has the following 11 columns:
Column Name | API Column Name | Data Type | Description | Sample Values |
---|---|---|---|---|
Year | year | text | Year in which ticks (all species and life stages) were collected. | 2017 2014 2016 2019 2015 view top 100 |
County | county | text | The county where ticks (all species and life stages) were collected. Ticks are often collected from multiple publicly accessible sites in each county. | Oswego Columbia Onondaga Rockland Saratoga view top 100 |
Total Sites Visited | total_sites_visited | number | The total number of publicly accessible sites visited in the county. For the nymph dataset, this means publicly accessible sites visited from May to September. | 1 2 3 4 5 view top 100 |
Total Ticks Collected | total_ticks_collected | number | The total number of ticks (all species and life stages) collected in the county during visits to publicly accessible sites from May to September. | 0 1 4 10 52 view top 100 |
Tick Population Density | nymphal_density | number | The average number of nymph deer ticks (also known as blacklegged ticks or their scientific name Ixodes scapularis) collected per 1,000 meters sampled in the county. Tick population density is calculated only from the total nymph deer ticks collected (and does not include other species or life stages collected at the time of the site visit). Note: When taken in conjunction with percentage of nymph deer ticks positive (or proportion infected) with the specified bacteria or parasite, this field can give a sense of risk of encountering an infected tick. But tick population density and proportion infected can vary widely at different publicly accessible sites within a county, as well as from year to year. Statewide tick surveillance and testing began in 2008. | 0.00 1.00 4 2 11.9 view top 100 |
Total Tested | total_tested | number | Total number of nymph deer ticks that were tested for the listed bacteria or parasites. Ticks are tested individually. | 50 0 1 51 2 view top 100 |
B. burgdorferi (%) | b_burgdorferi | number | Percentage of nymph deer ticks that tested positive (or proportion infected) for Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. Note: When taken in conjunction with tick population density (or population size), this field can give a sense of risk of encountering an infected tick. But tick population density and proportion infected can vary widely at different publicly accessible sites within a county, as well as from year to year. | 0 20 30 10.0 16.7 view top 100 |
A. phagocytophilum (%) | a_phagocytophilum | number | Percentage of nymph deer ticks that tested positive for Anaplasma phagocytophilum, the bacteria that causes anaplasmosis [or human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA)]. Note: When taken in conjunction with tick population density (or deer tick population size), this field can give a sense of risk of encountering an infected tick. But tick population density and the proportion infected can vary widely at different publicly accessible sites within a county, as well as from year to year. | 0 2 4 6.0 1.9 view top 100 |
B. microti (%) | b_microti | number | Percentage of nymph deer ticks that tested positive (or proportion infected) for Babesia microti, the parasite that causes babesiosis. Note: When taken in conjunction with tick population density (or population size), this field can give a sense of risk of encountering an infected tick. But tick population density and proportion infected can vary widely at different publicly accessible sites within a county, as well as from year to year. | 0 2 6 4.0 8 view top 100 |
B. miyamotoi (%) | b_miyamotoi | number | Percentage of nymph deer ticks that tested positive (or proportion infected) for Borrelia miyamotoi, the bacteria that can cause a relapsing-fever like disease with symptoms like those seen in anaplasmosis patients. Note: When taken in conjunction with tick population density (or population size), this field can give a sense of risk of encountering an infected tick. But tick population density and proportion infected can vary widely at different publicly accessible sites within a county, as well as from year to year. Testing of ticks for B. miyamotoi started in 2015. | 0 2 4 1.9 1.6 view top 100 |
County Centroid | county_centroid | location | This is a centroid location within the county. It is used strictly for mapping purposes and does not reflect any specific place of the listed locality or county. | view top 100 |