NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Tennessee Department of Health, and University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture today announced the detection of the invasive Asian longhorned tick in an additional six Tennessee counties: Knox, Jefferson, Claiborne, Cocke, Putnam, and Sevier. The tick was detected in Union and Roane Counties in May.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there is no evidence to date that the tick has transmitted pathogens to humans in the U.S. There are concerns that the tick may transmit the agent of Theileriosis in cattle, and heavy infestations can cause blood loss and lead to death.
It is important to be aware of this tick, as cattle and canines are particularly susceptible to tick bites. Livestock producers are reminded to be vigilant when purchasing animals, apply a tick treatment to cattle prior to bringing them to your farm, and always use best practices for herd health. Dog owners should provide their animals with a tick preventative and check for ticks.
“Tennessee has numerous animal hosts and a suitable habitat for this tick species,” Dr. R.T. Trout Fryxell, Associate Professor of Medical and Veterinary Entomology for UTIA, said. “While it is always important to be diligent and keep an eye out for all ticks, the unique biology of the Asian longhorned tick helps this species to establish quickly and become a problem.”
Tips to prevent tick bites in animals and livestock include:
· Coordinate with your veterinarian to determine appropriate pest prevention for pets and livestock.
· Check pets and livestock for ticks frequently.
· Remove any ticks by pulling from the attachment site of the tick bite with tweezers.
· Monitor your pets and livestock for any changes in health
If your animals are bitten by a tick, Dr. Trout Fryxell suggests putting the tick in a ziplock bag, writing down the date and where the tick was most likely encountered, and storing it in a freezer.
For additional information about the longhorned tick in the United States, click here. To find more information on tick-borne diseases, click here.
________________
**Comment**
The Asian Tick has been found in the following 12 states: Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut and Tennessee.
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/10/26/researchers-conclude-asian-longhorned-tick-contributes-minimally-to-lyme-disease-in-the-u-s/ This article admits it can transmit Lyme. It’s also suspected of transmitting the following: Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Borrelia species.
For a great read: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/09/12/three-surprising-things-i-learned-about-asian-longhorned-ticks-the-tick-guy-tom-mather/
Dr. Alan Macdonald held the presentation”Human Borrelia Deaths, Autopsy studies, and Chronic Morbidities” at the NorVect conference 2014.
https://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2019/deer,-fragmented-forests,-ticks,-a-lyme-like-disease-and-a-little-praise-for-possums.php Full Article Here
“…Say — what’s that?”
“Nothing but a tick.”
“Where’d you get him?”
“Out in the woods.”
“What’ll you take for him?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to sell him.”
—Tom and Huck, in Tom Sawyer
Ticks were evidently so rare in Samuel Clemens’ Hannibal that a single live specimen had value enough to tempt Tom Sawyer to part with his newly shed tooth. Matthias Leu says it was the same in the Switzerland of his more recent youth.
“When I was a boy, I spent all my time in the forest,” Leu said. “I never saw one tick. And in Switzerland now, you should not leave the trails because there are so many ticks. So, it’s not just in North America; it’s global.”
__________________
**Comment*
Great read which exposes the fact that little is known about the Ehrlichia chaffeensis bacterium which gives similar symptoms as Lyme disease. According to biologist Matthias Leu, “There probably has been a lot of ehrlichiosis that was misdiagnosed as Lyme.” Leu and his colleagues studied the habitat of the Lone Star Tick and found that forest fragmentation causes more edges which deer love, giving ticks an easy meal.
Leu explains that deer are “competent hosts,” serving not only as a meal for the tick, but also a reservoir for ehrlichiosis, capable of infecting the next feasting tick with Ehrlichia chaffeensis. He states that fawns and yearling deer are especially important in transmission of the bacterium.
According to this study, health providers often fail to consider ehrlichia when treating tick borne infections: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/10/181001171202.htm
“The failure to test for Ehrlichia, even as more and more evidence suggests that the infection may be just as common as other endemic tick-borne diseases, appears to impact patient care with antibiotics prescribed less frequently when testing is not ordered.”
For more on Ehrlichia: https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/12/02/everything-thats-known-about-ehrlichiosis/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/24/oklahoma-ehrlichiosis-central/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/03/09/dogs-ehrlichiosis/
https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/12/02/everything-thats-known-about-ehrlichiosis/
https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/7/4/121
