MONTVALE, NJ — After three years of research and testing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Aventis Environmental Science announce the launch of the Maxforce Tick Management System – a new product developed to control ticks and reduce the risk of Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. Available now to homeowners in New Jersey and Connecticut through licensed applicators, the Maxforce Tick Management System attacks the root of the Lyme disease problem in the northeastern United States by treating the primary hosts of the disease – the field mouse and chipmunk.
“Contrary to popular belief, small rodents, not deer, are primarily responsible for transmitting the Lyme disease bacteria to ticks,” said Chuck Cole product manger for the Maxforce Tick Management System for Aventis Environmental Science, the company that worked with the CDC to develop the device. “By treating the rodents, we get to the root of the problem and break the cycle of Lyme disease.”
Hatched disease-free ticks feed off small rodents in their first (larval) stage of life, when many are infected with Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections.
Now carrying the bacteria, ticks in their second (nymphal) stage feed once again, mainly on rodents but also on humans. The danger is that ticks in this second stage are very small, and therefore, not easily detected and removed. This makes the chances of contracting Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections greater for humans.
“The Maxforce Tick Management System kills ticks during the critical larval and nymphal stages when they are contracting the Lyme bacteria and other tick-borne infections from small rodents,” said Cole.
In field trials, researchers from the CDC and Aventis Environmental Science tested the Maxforce Tick Management System on many residential properties in Connecticut. The results showed nearly an 80% reduction in the nymphal tick populations after the first year and a 96% reduction over two years.
The Maxforce Tick Management System consists of a small, child-resistant box with an insecticide. Boxes are placed around the perimeter of properties to control the ticks that live on small rodents. If left untreated, a typical field mouse can carry over 150 ticks during peak tick-activity periods, and all of these ticks have the potential to infect people with Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. The Maxforce Tick Management System works by treating mice and chipmunks that enter each box with a small dose of insecticide. The active ingredient in the insecticide – fipronil – is the key element that makes the Maxforce Tick Management System so effective. Fipronil is also the active ingredient used in a leading tick control product for pets.
“The new Maxforce Tick Management System was developed and tested by scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and collaboration with Aventis Environmental Science made it possible to produce the most effective product and bring it to the public,” said Marc Dolan of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pest management professionals and homeowners who participated in the field trials agree that the Maxforce Tick Management System is an effective tool to combat the ticks that transmit Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. In fact, more than 75% of Lyme disease cases are contracted in residential properties.
“Before the trials, we were constantly doing tick checks and removing embedded ticks from the children,” said Lesley Cummin, a Connecticut homeowner, who participated in the field trials. “Now we still do a nightly tick check, but we rarely, if ever, find a tick on the children, on our dog or in the house. The bait boxes have totally changed our lives.”
According to the CDC, there were close to 18,000 human cases of Lyme disease in the year 2000, and nearly 90% of those cases were reported by people who live in the northeastern United States. Once infected with Lyme disease, a person may experience flu-like symptoms and develop a red rash in the shape of a bull’s eye. Because the symptoms of Lyme disease so closely mimic the flu, it often goes undiagnosed and can lead to more serious health problems if left untreated.
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