The Backyard Integrated Tick Management Study

Principal Investigators: Neeta Connally and Thomas Mather

Western Connecticut State UniversityUniversity of Rhode Island

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

www.backyardtickstudy.org

TickNET: Lyme and other tickborne diseases prevention study 2011-2012

• Randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial

• Assessed efficacy of single springtime application of pesticide to residential yards

Tick abundance at acaricide vs. placebo groups

63% reduction in questing blacklegged tick nymphs

62% fewerp<0.001

Hinckley et al. J Infect Dis 2016

Human outcomes

• Despite reduction in ticks at intervention sites, human disease incidence and human-tick encounters were not reduced

• Future studies should:• Also use interventions that include reducing

tick infection rates• Understand behavior of humans in the

backyard environment

Hinckley et al. J Infect Dis 2016

TickNET: Bait Box Intervention Study (2013-2016)

• Randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trial

• Assess efficacy of rodent-targeted tick control (Select TCS bait box)

• Outcome measures:• physician-diagnosed tickborne illness• tick-human encounters

• ticks attached• ticks crawling

METHODS

Participants

125 households from 2012 – 2015 (Pilot)

500 households from 2013 – 2016 (Full)

Enrolled, surveyed, and randomized to receive

Treated bait boxes (fipronil-treated wick)

Placebo bait boxes (no wick)

Backyard Integrated

Tick Management

Study 2016-2020

STUDY GOALS

1. Evaluate two tick management tick tactics

at single vs. contiguously treated backyards

2. Understand how people use outdoor environments

particularly backyards

TWO TICK MANAGEMENT INTERVENTIONS

Select TCS bait boxes

Targeted application of acaricide spray

Photos: www.tickboxtcs.com, www.tickencounter.org

STUDY DESIGN

Enrolled properties/households in western CT and southern RI

ITM approach: single acaricide spray plus bait boxes

Entomologic measures: tick abundance and infection rates

Human outcome measures: self reported tick encounters and human disease; daily activity log of property use

RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT GROUPS

SINGLE TREATED YARD(acaricide spray, active bait boxes)

CLUSTER OF TREATED YARDS(acaricide spray, active bait boxes)

SINGLE PLACEBO YARD(water spray, bait boxes without wick)

BAIT BOXES INSTALLED

SPRAY APPLIED

STUDY DESIGN

Two year treatment Households are blinded to treatment group Monthly surveys administered to measure

tick encounters and disease diagnosis Ticks detected on humans/pets submitted

to URI TickSpotters for confirmatory ID Daily activity survey administered for one

week in June

DAILY ACTIVITY SURVEY

Time spent in outdoor locations:In backyard:Forest edgeLawn adjacent to edgeLawn far from edgeGardens

Non-backyard locations

BITM STUDY – CURRENT STATUS

132 properties enrolledsingle treatedtreated clusterssingle placebo

Ticks sampled twice at all enrolled properties (pre-treatment) in late May-July 2017

Monthly surveys conducted May – Aug 2017

Daily activity survey conducted in June 2017

Bait boxes installed in late July 2017weighed 4 weeks post-installment

BITM STUDY – WHAT’S NEXT?

First acaricide treatment May 2018

Second bait box installment July 2018

Continue surveys, TickSpotters, residential tick sampling

For more information

www.backyardtickstudy.org

Spray Safe, Play Safe:

Promoting Integrated Tick Management for

Preventing Lyme Disease in Children

STUDY GOALS

Develop educational videos and other materials that address safe use of effective pesticides for tick control by families.

Disseminate educational materials to community members using multiple public platforms.

EPA Healthy Communities Grant Program 2017

AcknowledgmentsWestern Connecticut State UniversityRayda Krell Karen Thompson

University of Rhode IslandThomas Mather Howard Ginsberg Steve Engborg

Centers for Disease Control and PreventionDivision of Vector-Borne Infectious DiseasesLars Eisen Alison HinckleyRebecca Eisen Nicole BruenerCDC Cooperative Agreement 1U01CK000492

Town of Ridgefield, CT Health DepartmentJennifer Reid Ed Briggs