Rutgers Wants To See Photos Of Your Ticks For Research: Report

NEW JERSEY — A team of Rutgers University scientists is investigating the tick population in New Jersey to help prevent serious illness like Lyme disease from spreading.

The university's Center for Vector Biology is launching a new program this summer that allows residents and visitors to submit tick specimens to help the Rutgers teams track the tick population.

The center's director, Dina Fonseca, said the scientists are relying on as many people as possible to send in photos of what they believe are ticks. She said the team wants to know where people are encountering ticks in their day-to-day lives.

The first cases of Lyme disease in NJ were discovered in 1979. Since then, scientists have tried to uncover how prevalent the state's tick population is, where they are concentrated and what species are most dominant, according to the New Jersey Herald.

In New Jersey, the most commonly infected tick is the deer tick — or black-legged tick — according to the NJ Department of Health.

Immature ticks become infected by feeding on infected white-footed mice and other small mammals, such as deer and meadow voles. Deer ticks can also spread other tick-borne diseases, and humans can be infected with more than one tick-borne disease at the same time, according to the NJDOH.

Typical symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, headache, fatigue and a characteristic skin rash called erythema migrans, according to the CDC. If left untreated, the CDC says infection can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system.

The Rutgers team is asking people to send in photographs of ticks via their website — NJ Ticks 4 Science! — along with some information on where they were found.

Within 24 to 48 hours, the team will send back information on the tick species, diseases associated with it and ways to reduce the risk of contracting illness, according to the New Jersey Herald.

Scientists will also ask the person to send in the tick specimen so it can be tested for pathogens, such as the one that causes Lyme disease.

The goal of the research project is to create a map on the website tat shows tick and infection distribution throughout the state.

According to the Herald, summer is the peak time of the year for deer ticks. They are often found in more domestic areas, such as backyards.

The CDC has found that the northeastern states tend to be the hardest hit for Lyme disease, with Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York often leading the nation in the number of cases.

Health Department statistics show that the number of Lyme disease cases fluctuates from year to year in New Jersey and has averaged between 40 to 60 cases per 100,000 residents since 2007.

Cases dropped considerably in 2020, but officials attribute that to people staying indoors or not seeking medical attention during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Herald.

Fonesca said she hopes to capture information on other tick species, as well, including the Gulf Coast tick. This species has only been found twice in New Jersey, and its discovery occurred when a Cape May woman found an unusual-looking tick on her dog in 2018 and eventually contacted Rutgers.

Below is New Jersey's rate of Lyme disease per 100,000 residents, according to the NJ Department of Health:

• 2007: 36.1
• 2008: 40
• 2009: 56.8
• 2010: 42.2
• 2011: 48.3
• 2012: 40.4
• 2013: 42.5
• 2014: 37.1
• 2015: 54.7
• 2016: 49
• 2017: 57.3
• 2018: 44.9
• 2019: 40.8
• 2020: 27.6