New York State Nymph Deer Tick Pathogen Prevalence Data

New York State (excluding New York City) surveillance data tracks pathogen prevalence in nymph deer ticks collected from May to September annually since 2008. The dataset includes counts of ticks tested and infected percentages for pathogens like Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia microti, and Borrelia miyamotoi. It is published by health.data.ny.gov.

Use Cases

• Analyze spatial patterns of B. burgdorferi (%) infection rates across New York Counties and NYS Senate Districts.
• Model correlations between Tick Population Density and pathogen prevalence metrics like A. phagocytophilum (%) or B. miyamotoi (%).
• Track annual trends in Total Ticks Collected and Total Tested per County from 2008 onward.
• Assess local disease risk by joining pathogen data with geographic features like School Districts 2016.shp or Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) Communities.

Strengths

• Longitudinal data spanning from 2008 to the present.
• Includes multiple pathogen targets (B. burgdorferi, A. phagocytophilum, B. microti, B. miyamotoi) with infection percentages.
• Geographic coverage across all New York State counties excluding New York City.

Limitations

• Data is limited to nymph-stage ticks collected only from May to September each year.
• Sample size per location and year is unknown, potentially limiting statistical power for small areas.
• The data provider explicitly warns against using it to broadly predict county-level disease risk due to high local variability.

Provenance

Source

health.data.ny.gov

Collection Method

Collection and individual testing of nymph deer ticks across the state.

Time Range

Beginning 2008

Freshness

Updated as of May 2, 2025.

Geography

New York State, excluding New York City.