NEW YORK STATE – An invasive species of disease-carrying tick, native to Australia, is looking for a home in New York.
The Longhorned Tick, also known as a Cattle Tick or Bush Tick, has been in New Jersey since at least 2010 and is now also in the Carolinas, and Westchester, N.Y.
According to the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, the longhorned tick is a major livestock pest which can transmit bovine theileriosis and babesiosis infection in animals.
Longhorned ticks are considered a possible vector for Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus (SFTSV), which is an emerging infectius disease in China. Longhorned ticks collected in Asia have also been found carrying pathogens that are similar to some of those that occur in the US, like the bacteria that cause anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis, the parasite that causes babesiosis, and the Powassan virus. We do not yet know if the longhorned tick can transmit these pathogens to animals or humans.
The Longhorned Tick, also known as a Cattle Tick or Bush Tick, has been in New Jersey since at least 2010 and is now also in the Carolinas, and Westchester, N.Y.
According to the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases, the longhorned tick is a major livestock pest which can transmit bovine theileriosis and babesiosis infection in animals.
Longhorned ticks are considered a possible vector for Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus (SFTSV), which is an emerging infectius disease in China. Longhorned ticks collected in Asia have also been found carrying pathogens that are similar to some of those that occur in the US, like the bacteria that cause anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis, the parasite that causes babesiosis, and the Powassan virus. We do not yet know if the longhorned tick can transmit these pathogens to animals or humans.
While the longhorned tick has transmitted disease to humans in other parts of the world, scientists say more research is needed to determine whether it can happen in the United States.