• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

To Honor and Protect the Ranching Way of Life

  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Why Join
    • Leadership
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • FAQs
    • Newsroom
    • Sponsorships
    • Employment
  • What We Do
    • Theft and Law
    • Issues and Policy
    • Education
    • Students and Young Professionals
    • The Cattleman Magazine
    • Disaster Relief Fund
    • Cattle Raisers Insurance
    • Cattle Raisers Trading Co
  • Events
    • Cattle Raisers Convention
    • Policy Conference
    • Summer Meeting
    • Ranch Gatherings
    • Ranching 101
  • Join
  • Member Center
  • TSCRA Store
  • Show Search
Hide Search

CDC: Asian longhorned tick spreading widely in US

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working with public health, agricultural, and academic experts to understand the possible threat posed by the spread of the Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) in several U.S. states since its discovery in 2017, according to a recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

“The full public health and agricultural impact of this tick discovery and spread is unknown,” said Ben Beard, Ph.D., deputy director of CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases. “In other parts of the world, the Asian longhorned tick can transmit many types of pathogens common in the United States. We are concerned that this tick, which can cause massive infestations on animals, on people, and in the environment, is spreading in the United States.”

New Jersey and eight other states report finding this tick

New Jersey was the first state to report the tick on a sheep in August 2017. Since then, 45 counties or county equivalents in New Jersey and eight other states—Arkansas, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, New York, Dipyridamole, Virginia, and West Virginia—have reported finding the tick on a variety of hosts, including people, wildlife, domestic animals, and in environmental samples.

In contrast to most tick species, a single female tick can reproduce offspring (1-2,000 eggs at a time) without mating. As a result, hundreds to thousands of ticks can be found on a single animal, person, or in the environment. Livestock producers and pet owners should work with their veterinarians to maintain regular tick prevention and report any unknown tick species to their local department of agriculture.

In other parts of the world where the Asian longhorned tick is common, it is a serious threat to livestock. In some regions of New Zealand and Australia, this tick can reduce production in dairy cattle by 25 percent.

CDC and its partners work to learn more, prevent spread of disease

To better understand the full potential impact of this tick discovery in the United States, CDC is working with a network of federal, state, and local experts representing veterinary and agricultural science and public health to:

  • Determine the geographic distribution of Asian longhorned tick in the United States.
  • Determine the kinds of pathogens carried by Asian longhorned ticks in affected states that could infect people. Pathogens found in these ticks in other parts of the world, also endemic to the United States, include Borrelia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Babesia.
  • Determine what new laboratory tests are needed to detect pathogens that could be introduced or spread by these ticks in the United States.
  • Establish a clean colony (ticks with no pathogens) for studies.
  • Determine how frequently the Asian longhorned tick bites people and animals in the United States.
  • Determine effective prevention and control strategies.

Eventually operating under a national strategy, this network of collaborators will work to limit the spread of tickborne diseases before they affect people and animals. This concerted, sustained national effort is needed to address the threat posed by the Asian longhorned tick, as well as the threat posed by the ongoing increase in vector-borne diseases in the United States.

Protect against tickborne diseases

Everyone can take steps to prevent tick bites:

  • Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. Always follow product instructions.
  • Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5 percent permethrin. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing, and camping gear and remain protective through several washings. Alternatively, you can buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
  • Check your body and clothing for ticks upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, including your own backyard. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Place tick-infested clothes in a dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors.
  • Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease and may be effective in reducing the risk of other tickborne diseases. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and is a good time to do a tick check.
  • Talk to your veterinarian about tickborne diseases in your area and prevention products for your dog.

For more information:

  • What you need to know about Asian longhorned ticks – A new tick in the United States
  • Preventing tick bites
  • Tickborne Diseases of the United States

Petersen L, Beard CB, Visser S. November 2018. Combatting the Increasing Threat of Vector-Borne Disease in the United States with a National Vector-Borne Disease Prevention and Control System. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Written by:
kristin
Published on:
November 30, 2018

Categories: Animal Health, Pests, The Cattleman Now, The Cattleman Now - App

Recent Posts

TSCRA Talk Episode 65 – Direct beef sales – tried and true wisdom 

June 23, 2025

Kayla Jennings with Jennings Ventures and Tucker Brown of the R.A. Brown Ranch join TSCRA …

Continue Reading about TSCRA Talk Episode 65 – Direct beef sales – tried and true wisdom 

TSCRA commends Secretary Rollins and USDA on Texas sterile fly facility

June 18, 2025

FORT WORTH, Texas (June 18, 2025)— U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced …

Continue Reading about TSCRA commends Secretary Rollins and USDA on Texas sterile fly facility

Crime watch: Brangus bull missing in Fayette County

June 13, 2025

Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger Kenny Murchison, District 20 in …

Continue Reading about Crime watch: Brangus bull missing in Fayette County

Footer

Who We Are

Why Join
Leadership
Staff
Partners
FAQs
Newsroom
Sponsorships
Employment

What We Do

Theft and Law
Issues and Policy
Education
Students and Young Professionals
The Cattleman Magazine
Cattle Raisers Insurance
Cattle Raisers Trading Co.
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

Information

Cattle Raisers Blog
News Releases
Bereavements
Events
Sponsorships & Advertisement
Tip Hotline
Get Involved
Links

Membership

Membership Center
Membership Center Instructions
Join
Renew
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

PO BOX 101988
FORT WORTH, TX 76185

1-800-242-7820

© 2023 Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association; All Rights Reserved.

COPYRIGHT | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS OF USE