People on the alert for tick bites and the diseases they can carry, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, tularemia and Lyme disease, have a new tick to think about. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed that a Longhorned tick has been found on a dog in Benton County, the first time that type has been found in Arkansas.
The Longhorned tick is a native East Asian tick associated with bacterial and viral disease in humans and animals.
“This tick is considered by USDA to be a serious threat to livestock because heavy tick infestations may cause stunted growth, decreased production and animal deaths,” the USDA said in a press release. “In other countries, the Longhorned tick has been implicated in causing disease in humans, including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. Like deer ticks, the nymphs of the Longhorned tick are very small (resembling tiny spiders) and can easily go unnoticed on animals and people. This tick is known to infest a wide range of species and has the potential to infect multiple North American wildlife species, humans, dogs, cats, and livestock.”
The tick is believed to cause diseases in humans, including severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes that disease as “a newly emerging infectious disease. Multi-organ failure occurs in severe cases, and 6-30 percent of case-patients die.”
The USDA identified the Longhorned tick in New Jersey in November 2017, the first time it was found in the U.S. It was later found in Virginia and West Virginia. The USDA is investigating how the outbreaks could occur in states so far apart.
“Livestock producers, animal owners and veterinarians should notify the Arkansas Agriculture Department or USDA-APHIS if they notice any unusual ticks, or ticks that occur in large numbers on an individual animal,” State Veterinarian Dr. Brandon Doss said. “We encourage livestock producers to work with their veterinarians to develop a tick prevention and control program.”
Kelly Loftin, extension entomologist for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said that while the Longhorned tick may be a new arrival to Arkansas, residents should exercise the same precautions they would with the state’s existing tick population.
“I think the big concern right now is the unknown,” Loftin said. “We don’t know how it arrived in Arkansas, how widespread it is. The Longhorned is a big pest to cattle in some parts of the world, so of course that’s a concern here, along with the viral and bacterial pathogens it may transmit.”
And while the tick should certainly be taken seriously, the Longhorned tick doesn’t necessarily present any new challenges to the state’s human or animal populations, Loftin said.
“There’s a fear that it could transmit the Powassan virus, various other pathogens, possibly Anaplasma spp., and so on,” he said, referring to a parasitic proteobacteria that can affect dogs. “But we already have ticks capable of transmitting these pathogens.”
Loftin said there are a number of preventive measures concerned residents should take whenever exposure to ticks is likely. These include bodily protective measures, such as wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants, tucking pants into socks, and applying insect repellent to both skin and clothes. Inspect yourself for ticks thoroughly as soon as possible after potential exposure.
“Keep piles of wood or rubbish far away from animals and homes, as they tend to serve as habitats for rodents that can carry ticks, insects and disease,” he said.
If you discover an unusual tick or find large numbers of ticks on an animal, Loftin advises livestock producers and others to collect the ticks and contact their local Cooperative Extension Service office, the Arkansas Agriculture Department or the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service for further instruction.
“Not all tick bites result in tickborne disease,” Meg Miravel, spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Health said. “In general, the symptoms are fever/chills, aches/pains, and a rash. They can appear two to fourteen days after a bite, depending on the disease. If you experience symptoms after a tick bite, see a health care provider. We’ve had at least two cases of Heartland in the state.”
“In general, people identified with Heartland virus infection have suffered a flu-like illness from May to September. They all had a fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite. Some complained of headaches, muscle and joint aches, diarrhea, or feeling sick to their stomach. There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat Heartland infections. The majority of Heartland virus patients required hospitalization but were able to return to their normal health in the weeks and months following their discharge.”
More information on tick diseases and how to prevent tick bites can be found on the ADH website, www.healthy.arkansas.gov.