Ticks carrying more than one pathogen are on the rise in US Northeast
by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
March 11, 2026
Tick-borne diseases are on the rise in the northeastern US, with many ticks carrying more than one pathogen. So reports a recent analysis published in Ecosphere by researchers at Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and the SUNY Center for Vector-Borne Diseases at Upstate Medical University.
As part of the study, led by Cary Institute disease ecologist Shannon LaDeau, more than 2,000 blacklegged ticks were screened for a suite of 16 pathogens at the Upstate Tick Testing Laboratory. Ticks were collected over nine years from forested plots at the Cary Institute’s campus in Dutchess County, NY. The site is home to a long-term research project on the ecology of tick-borne disease.
The study focused on nymphal ticks, the life stage most likely to spread tick-borne diseases to people. “Rates of infection tend to be even higher in adult ticks because they have more opportunities to feed and acquire pathogens,” LaDeau notes. “But they are also bigger and so easier for people to detect and remove before they spread disease.”
Keep reading: https://www.caryinstitute.org/news-insights/press-release/ticks-carrying-more-one-pathogen-are-rise-us-northeast
Read the Ecosphere paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.70508