Ticks and Lyme Disease in Contra Costa County 2004

2004 Annual Report, Contra Costa County Mosquito and Vector Control District

Due to a temporary reduction in our laboratory staff this summer, Lyme disease testing of ticks collected during the 2003/04 field surveillance season is not yet complete.

There were a total of 124 ticks submitted for identification by the public during 2004. Forty-five were identified as the western black-legged tick (the potential vector of Lyme disease). Of these, 11 were tested in-house using the IFA method (one positive) and 28 were submitted to IgeneX Labs for PCR testing (results no longer being reported to the district).