An increasing number of ticks in the Hudson Valley are carrying more than one disease-causing germ that can make people sick, according to a new study from the Cary Institute of Ecological Studies in Millbrook. Researchers say the trend could complicate diagnosis and treatment in humans after a tick bite.
Details of the study were released by the institute, and additional insights were provided in an interview with lead researcher Shannon LaDeau.
The findings are part of a long-running research effort in Dutchess County, where scientists have been collecting and tracking ticks for decades. The current analysis draws on nearly 10 years of samples, part of a 35-year monitoring project led by Cary Institute disease ecologist Richard S. Ostfeld. Ticks collected from forested plots on the Cary campus were frozen and later tested for a wide range of pathogens using updated laboratory methods.
According to the report, more than 38% of the ticks tested were capable of spreading at least one disease-causing pathogen to people.
“The probability of being exposed to a pathogen by a single bite from a nymphal tick is approaching 40%,” said Ostfeld in a statement. “That seems uncomfortably high. These ticks are so small, most people don’t even realize when one is feeding on them.”
Lead researcher Shannon LaDeau, a disease ecologist at the Cary Institute, has spent her career studying how diseases move through ecosystems. Her early work focused on tracking the spread of West Nile virus through bird populations using large datasets, before turning her attention to ticks and tick-borne illness in the Northeast.
The latest study analyzed more than 2,000 blacklegged ticks collected over nearly a decade in Dutchess County and found that roughly 1 in 10 ticks in their nymph stage – the small, hard-to -see phase most likely to bite humans – were carrying at least two pathogens.
“That means a single tick bite could expose someone to more than one illness,” LaDeau said in an interview.
The ticks themselves are not born carrying disease, she added. Instead, they pick up pathogens during their first blood meal as larvae, when they are extremely small and remain close to the ground in leaf litter. At that stage, they typically feed on small rodents, such as mice and chipmunks. If the host animal is infected, the tick can acquire more pathogens.
Lyme disease, once acquired by a tick, stays with it for life, while other pathogens like Babesia may clear over time.
Life cycle of the blacklegged tick. Ticks take a blood meal at each life stage: larva, nymph, and adult. Ticks acquire pathogens by taking blood meals from infected animals (often rodents). The study focused on nymphal ticks, which are poppy seed sized. Their small size makes them hard to detect and remove, and more likely to pass pathogens to people. Illustration by Leslie Tumblety/Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies
Overall, researchers found that more than a third of ticks tested were carrying at least onepathogen, with Lyme disease remaining common. About 20% of ticks carried the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, while lower levels of other known illnesses, such as anaplasmosis, were detected.
One of the more striking findings was the rise of babesiosis, an illness caused by a parasite that requires different treatment than Lyme disease.
“Babesia has been increasing over time,” LaDeau said, noting that in some years it was even more common in ticks than the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. “There’s a lot of year-to-year variation, but over the longer term, it’s increasing.”
These results have important public health implications, LaDeau said, because the two pathogens require different tests and treatments. Lyme disease is treated with antibiotics such as doxycycline, while Babesia infections are treated with antiparasitic medications.
“This particular co-infection does represent a new risk in the sense that Babesia and Lyme do not respond to the same treatment,” LaDeau said. Anaplasma, which has been around for a long time and has historically had a co-infection with Lyme disease, does respond to the same treatment.
“In the Northeast, when someone gets sick after a tick bite, medical professionals should be testing for both pathogens to ensure proper diagnosis and treatment,” said LaDeau.
How to protect yourself from tick bites
For residents spending time outdoors, LaDeau said prevention starts with awareness. Wearing light-colored clothing can make ticks easier to spot, and checking yourself regularly – both while outside and after coming indoors – is key. Tick activity also varies throughout the year, with certain times, particularly late spring and late summer, posing higher risk.
Just as important is knowing your surroundings. “There are places where you go out and get ticks every time, and other places where you don’t,” LaDeau said, noting that ticks come from the ground and typically latch on from leaf litter as they climb upward.
A protester holds a sign at Fountain Square in Amenia on March 28, where more than 200 people gathered as part of the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations.
Kim Travis of Amenia — who organized the rally at Fountain Square — said the demonstration reflected a dramatic shift from her early days protesting alone, when she faced threats while standing by herself.
“This started with just me, alone in June — day after day, getting threats,” Travis said. “To see it grow into more than 200 people today for this ‘No Kings’ rally in our little-bitty town of Amenia is incredible.”
She said the turnout reflected broader support across rural communities. There were several rallies in towns across Dutchess County and in neighboring Connecticut.
Travis described the mood of the Amenia crowd as both emotional and energizing.
“Our hearts are filled with joy — it’s just incredible that so many people turned out today,” she said.
She added that the message of the protest was rooted in democratic values.
“We want our country back, and we want democracy,” Travis said. “We the people serve no kings. That’s what the Constitution is all about.”
Protesters display an upside down American flag in Amenia on March 28, where more than 200 people gathered as part of the nationwide “No Kings” demonstrations.Photo by Aly Morrissey
Ellie Myers, a senior boarding student at Millbrook School who lives in Brooklyn, attended the Fountain Square protests and said she has been protesting since Donald Trump was first elected in 2016.
“Showing up is really important to me, and I’m grateful to be in a community where I can support others,” Myers said. “Right now, ICE is the biggest issue. I have friends and family who have been affected — hardworking immigrants who came here for freedom and haven’t found it. That’s heartbreaking. It goes against what ‘we the people’ is supposed to mean, and it’s painful to see, both in the news and in real life.”
Myers added that she witnessed ICE in the airports during recent travel back to school and it was “heartbreaking.”
Dutchess County Legislator Eric Alexander, who represents Amenia and surrounding communities, also attended the rally, noting it followed a unanimous county resolution opposing a proposed ICE facility in the Hudson Valley.
“That wasn’t just Democrats,” Alexander said. “That was the entire legislature unanimously saying no to ICE, and a lot of that came from the voice of the people — the people we represent.”
Alexander said the size of the rally stood out, noting its growth from a single protester to a dozen regular participants and ultimately more than 200 attendees.
“I see a great sense of community, and I see a great sense of optimism,” he said. “But I also see high frustration. People are very concerned, and I think that concern is only growing as we see more and more of what’s going on in our country.”
He said the country is in a war that hasn’t sufficiently been explained to the American people, dysfunction is rampant at airports, and prices of everything from gas to groceries are soaring.
“And we don’t see an end in sight — we don’t see a plan,” he said. “These are people standing out here today saying we, as citizens, deserve to have our voices heard and to try to get some things to change.”
Protesters at Fountain Square in Amenia on March 28.Photo by Aly Morrissey
Several other local protests took place in Dutchess County, including in Rhinebeck, Poughkeepsie and Beacon.
Meanwhile, similar demonstrations took place across the border in Connecticut.
In Salisbury, several hundred people gathered along Route 44, where organizers set up signs and encouraged participants to share messages. In Cornwall, organizers estimated more than 300 attendees at the intersection of Route 7 and Route 4. Meanwhile, in Kent, both sides of Main Street were lined with protesters, with turnout estimated at more than 250.
As the rallies wound down, organizers such as Travis said the protests would not stop.
“A lot of the surrounding small towns showed up, too, because we want to show the rest of the country that small towns can be strong, loud and resist just as much as anyone,” she said. “And we intend to, and we’re not stopping.”
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
Dan Baker, left, and Daniel Latzman at Barrington Hall in Great Barrington.
The partnership behind Barrington Hall began long before the building itself. Both Baker and Latzman grew up on Long Island, spent more than a decade in New York City, and eventually found their way to the Berkshires, drawn by the desire for something different. What they didn’t realize at first was just how closely their lives had already mirrored one another.
They were born in the same hospital, a year apart. Their families had distant connections. They even played on the same soccer team — never meeting, but moving through the same spaces. It wasn’t until they became neighbors in Egremont about five years ago that those parallels came into focus.
“In hindsight, it feels inevitable,” Latzman said. “But it was actually extremely random that we ended up here.”
From the beginning, Barrington Hall was meant to be a place people return to, not for any one event, but for the experience of being there. On any given week, the space might host a jazz performance, a dance party, a songwriter circle or a children’s event. Some nights bring in touring acts. Others highlight local creatives. The variety is intentional and so is the atmosphere.
“It’s about people,” Baker said. “It’s about being present.”
Inside Barrington Hall.Provided
Baker and Latzman are keenly aware of the world outside with its constant barrage of information, political conflicts, a culture that pulls people deeper into their screens. Barrington Hall offers a way out of that noise.
“A little bit of a bubble,” Latzman said. “A place to step away from everything else.”
During a recent event, they noticed something telling: a full room of people dancing, talking, engaged — and almost no one on their phone.
“That’s when you know something is working,” Baker said.
Taking over a beloved local space comes with responsibility, one Baker and Latzman have met by honoring the building’s traditions while also expanding them.
“We didn’t feel obligated,” Latzman said. “We felt honored.”
Part of what makes the space distinct is its versatility. Large enough to host more than 250 people, yet intimate enough to feel personal, it fills a gap in the local landscape, serving a wide range of people and bringing different groups together in the same space.
“We want people to feel like, if something’s happening here, it’s worth checking out,” Latzman said.
They are carefully balancing community access with the realities of running a business, with an eye toward the long term.
“We want this to be here in 20 years,” Latzman said.
Inside Barrington Hall.Provided
That vision extends beyond the building itself — future collaborations, expanded programming, a growing role in shaping the cultural life of the Berkshires. But at its core, the mission remains simple: to create a place where people can gather, a place that feels alive.
And perhaps most importantly, to create a place where, if only for a few hours, people can step away from the noise of the world and enjoy being together.
When asked who they’re most excited to host next, their answer was immediate: The Mammals on April 10 and Lee Ross, a one-man party band from Massachusetts, scheduled to perform on May 1.
For more information and tickets, visit
barringtonhallgb.com
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
