Babesiosis and Anaplasmosis: The Tick Diseases After Lyme in NJ
Lyme disease gets all the attention, but it is not the only illness New Jersey ticks carry. Anaplasmosis just had its worst year on record in the state, and babesiosis keeps climbing year after year. Both come from the same blacklegged tick as Lyme. Here is what makes them different, why cases are rising, and how to lower your family’s risk.
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The Quick Answer: Lyme Is Not the Only Tick Disease Rising in NJ
The same blacklegged tick that transmits Lyme disease also transmits anaplasmosis and babesiosis. In 2025, New Jersey recorded more anaplasmosis cases than ever before, and babesiosis cases rose for another year.
Anaplasmosis is a bacterial infection. Babesiosis is caused by a parasite that infects red blood cells. Both can cause flu-like illness, and both require a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. Do not try to tell tick diseases apart yourself based on symptoms.
The prevention is the same for all three: a tick-safe yard, repellent and protective clothing outdoors, full-body tick checks, and prompt, proper tick removal. Reduce the ticks, and you reduce every disease they carry at once.
Why Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis Cases Are Rising in New Jersey
The NJ Department of Health tracks tick-borne diseases through its weekly vector-borne surveillance reports and an annual summary. The trend lines for these two diseases point clearly upward:
Preliminary state data show more than 300 anaplasmosis cases reported in 2025, the most ever recorded in New Jersey. The previous high was 203 cases in 2021. Cases clustered in the northwestern part of the state: Hunterdon, Sussex, Morris and Warren counties.
New Jersey reported 341 babesiosis cases in 2025, up from 276 in 2024. Nationally, a Penn State analysis of health records for more than 250 million Americans found babesiosis rising an average of 9 percent per year between 2015 and 2022, concentrated in Northeastern states.
The Penn State team pointed to changing temperature, humidity, rainfall and season length, which influence where ticks survive and how far their range extends. More tick habitat and longer active seasons mean more human encounters.
Reported Lyme cases in NJ have stayed roughly level in recent years (about 5,900 in 2025 versus 6,300 in 2024), while anaplasmosis and babesiosis keep gaining. The tick problem is not shrinking; it is diversifying.
State health officials caution that reported counts understate the real numbers, because tick-borne diseases other than Lyme take time to investigate and confirm. The true case counts are almost certainly higher than what gets published.
Anaplasmosis, Explained in Plain Terms
Anaplasmosis is a bacterial infection caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum, transmitted through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. It is the same tick species that transmits Lyme disease, and the two diseases overlap heavily in where and when they occur.
At a high level, anaplasmosis typically causes flu-like illness: fever, headache, chills and muscle aches, usually starting within one to two weeks of the bite. That is as specific as a pest control company should get. The illness can range from mild to severe, and only a doctor can diagnose it, usually with blood tests, and prescribe the right treatment.
One practical point worth knowing: unlike Lyme disease, anaplasmosis does not come with a signature rash. Many people never notice the tick that bit them, because the nymph-stage blacklegged ticks responsible for most transmission are roughly the size of a poppy seed. If you develop fever or flu-like symptoms in spring or summer and spend time outdoors in New Jersey, tell your doctor about possible tick exposure. That single sentence can change the diagnosis.
Babesiosis, Explained in Plain Terms
Babesiosis is different from both Lyme and anaplasmosis in one fundamental way: it is caused by a parasite, Babesia microti, not a bacterium. The parasite infects red blood cells, which is why researchers sometimes describe babesiosis as similar to malaria in how it behaves in the body.
Like the others, it arrives through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick, and it typically causes flu-like symptoms. Many healthy adults fight it off without ever knowing they had it. But babesiosis can be serious for older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and people who have had their spleen removed. Those groups should be especially careful about tick prevention and should contact a doctor promptly if symptoms follow a bite or outdoor exposure.
Babesiosis is also the disease most associated with co-infections. The Penn State study found that 42 percent of babesiosis patients were infected with one or more additional tick-borne diseases, most often Lyme disease. That is worth remembering the next time someone says “it was just one tick.”
How Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis Differ From Lyme Disease
Homeowners tend to file every tick illness under “Lyme.” That is understandable, but it can be misleading. Here is the simple version:
Bacterial
The best-known of the three. Many patients develop a spreading rash, though not everyone does. Diagnosed and treated by a doctor.
Bacterial
No signature rash. Flu-like symptoms that look like a summer virus, which is partly why it gets missed. Same tick, same season, different germ.
Parasitic
Infects red blood cells rather than other tissues. Often mild, but riskier for older adults and the immunocompromised. Frequently travels with Lyme in the same patient.
The honest bottom line: you cannot tell these apart by how you feel, and you should not try. What you can do is prevent the bite in the first place, remove attached ticks properly and promptly, and give your doctor the full story, including when and where the bite may have happened. For a deeper tour of every major tick-borne illness, see our guide to the most common diseases caused by ticks and our 2026 New Jersey Lyme disease guide.
One Tick Can Carry More Than One Disease
This is the part most people miss. A single blacklegged tick can be infected with multiple pathogens at once, which means one bite can deliver two illnesses. The Penn State researchers found that 42 percent of babesiosis patients carried at least one additional tick-borne infection, and among those, 41 percent also had Lyme disease.
That matters for two reasons. First, it is another argument for taking every tick bite seriously, even if an initial test comes back negative for Lyme. Second, it means prevention has a multiplier effect: every tick you keep off your family is protection against the whole set of diseases, not just one.
Customers ask me about Lyme constantly and almost never about anaplasmosis, even though our state just had its worst anaplasmosis year ever. The ticks do not care which disease you have heard of. When I walk a property in Hunterdon or Warren County and see perfect nymph habitat along the woodline, I am thinking about all three diseases, not one. That is the mindset I want homeowners to borrow.
Lowering Your Risk: The Same Steps Protect Against All Three
Because one tick species carries all three diseases, you do not need three prevention plans. You need one good tick plan, done consistently:
Protect Your Yard From the Ticks That Carry All Three
Bite Back provides all-natural tick and mosquito control for New Jersey families who want fewer ticks without harsh synthetic pesticides broadcast across the yard.
Our treatments target the woodlines, fence lines, leaf litter edges and dense landscaping where blacklegged ticks wait for a host. Fewer ticks in the yard means less exposure to Lyme, anaplasmosis and babesiosis all at once.
Choose Bite Back, because what is sprayed in your yard matters. 🌿
Helpful Resources and Related Bite Back Guides
- NJDOH: 2025 Year-End Vector-Borne Surveillance Summary (PDF)
- ScienceDaily: Penn State Study on Rising Babesiosis Rates (2024)
- NJDOH: Vector-Borne Diseases in New Jersey
- Rutgers NJAES: Tick Biology and Control
- Bite Back: The Most Common Diseases Caused by Ticks
- Bite Back: Lyme Disease in New Jersey (2026 Guide)
Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis FAQs
What is anaplasmosis?
Anaplasmosis is a bacterial infection transmitted by blacklegged ticks, the same ticks that spread Lyme disease. It typically causes flu-like symptoms within one to two weeks of a bite. Only a doctor can diagnose and treat it, usually with blood tests and antibiotics.
What is babesiosis?
Babesiosis is a parasitic infection caused by Babesia microti, which infects red blood cells. It spreads through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick. Many healthy adults never develop symptoms, but it can be serious for older adults, immunocompromised people and those without a spleen.
How are anaplasmosis and babesiosis different from Lyme disease?
All three come from the blacklegged tick, but the germs differ: Lyme and anaplasmosis are bacterial, babesiosis is parasitic. Anaplasmosis and babesiosis do not come with Lyme’s signature rash. You cannot tell them apart by symptoms alone, which is why any persistent illness after tick exposure deserves a doctor visit.
How common are anaplasmosis and babesiosis in New Jersey?
More common than ever. In 2025, New Jersey recorded more than 300 anaplasmosis cases, the most on record, with the previous high of 203 in 2021. Babesiosis rose to 341 cases in 2025, up from 276 in 2024. Northwestern counties (Hunterdon, Sussex, Morris, Warren) saw the highest anaplasmosis counts.
Can one tick give me more than one disease?
Yes. A single blacklegged tick can carry multiple pathogens. A Penn State study found that 42 percent of babesiosis patients were infected with at least one additional tick-borne disease, most often Lyme disease. That is why doctors sometimes test for more than one illness after a bite.
What should I do if I find a tick on me?
Remove it promptly with fine-tipped tweezers, grasping as close to the skin as possible and pulling straight up. Save the tick in a sealed bag with the date, and watch for symptoms over the next few weeks. If you develop fever, rash or flu-like illness, tell your doctor about the bite. Our tick check and removal guide has the full technique.
Do anaplasmosis and babesiosis have vaccines?
No. There are no human vaccines for anaplasmosis or babesiosis. Prevention means avoiding bites: tick-safe yard habits, repellent, protective clothing, tick checks and professional yard treatments.
Are my pets at risk from these diseases?
Dogs can contract anaplasmosis from tick bites, and veterinarians in New Jersey test for it regularly. Ask your vet about year-round tick prevention for your pets, since dogs can also carry ticks into the house on their fur.
When are the ticks that spread these diseases most active?
Blacklegged tick nymphs, which cause most human infections, are most active from May through July. Adult ticks are active in fall and even on mild winter days. Tick season in New Jersey is effectively year-round whenever temperatures are above freezing.
Does Bite Back’s treatment protect against these diseases?
Our all-natural tick treatments reduce the blacklegged tick population in your yard by targeting the woodlines and edges where they wait for hosts. Fewer ticks means less exposure to Lyme, anaplasmosis and babesiosis alike. No yard treatment can remove every tick or guarantee no bites.
Final Takeaway
Lyme disease is no longer the whole story in New Jersey. Anaplasmosis just had its worst year on record, babesiosis keeps climbing, and both ride on the same blacklegged tick you already worry about. The good news is that one prevention plan covers all three: a tick-safe yard, personal protection, prompt tick removal, and honest conversations with your doctor after any bite.
The ticks are not choosing between diseases. Neither should your prevention.
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