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New Disease-Carrying Tick Found In 2nd State


By Patricia Doyle PhD
Exclusive To Rense.com
5-20-18

Hello Jeff ...  Now the East Asian Longeared Tick has spread to Virginia from New Jersey.   Here is the latest on the new disease-transmitting tick which infests humans and have been known to literally exsanguinate cattle! 
Date: May 20, 2018 at 6:36:11 AM PDT

Published Date: 2018-05-19 21:28:44
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Invasive tick - USA: (VA)
Archive Number: 20180519.5806284

INVASIVE TICK - USA: (VIRGINIA)
****************************** *
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org

Date: Sat 19 May 2018
Source: Outbreak News Today [edited]
http://outbreaknewstoday.com/ longhorned-tick-found-cattle- virginia-farm-43455/


The National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, this week [week of Sun 13 May 2018] confirmed the finding of the _Haemaphysalis longicornis_ tick (otherwise known as the East Asian or Longhorned tick) in Virginia. The tick appeared on an orphaned calf on a beef farm in Albemarle County.

In late 2017 _H. longicornis_ was found initially in New Jersey. No known direct link exists from the Virginia farm to the area in New Jersey where the first ticks appeared on a sheep farm.

Virginia state veterinary officials will continue to work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal and industry partners to determine the extent and significance of this finding.

_H. longicornis_ is native to East Asia (Japan, China, the former USSR, Korea) but has become a major invasive pest of cattle in New Zealand, parts of Australia, and several Pacific islands (New Caledonia, Fiji, Western Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu).

_H. longicornis_ is also known to parasitize humans, with published reports, often describing numerous cases, from Australia (4 reports), China (1), Japan (18), New Zealand (2), Russia (1), and South Korea.

While the primary threat posed by this species is intense infestations of cattle that can lead to weakness and, in some cases, exsanguination and death, it has also been implicated in transmission of several diseases of medical and veterinary concern, including _Rickettsia japonica_, the agent of Oriental spotted fever, _Theileria orientalis_, the agent of cattle theileriosis, and a newly described bunyavirus causing severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS). Additionally, field populations of ticks have been found infected with _Anaplasma_, _Ehrlichia_, and _Borrelia_ spp. in China and Korea.

--
Communicated by:
Joe Annelli
< jfannelli@gmail.com >

[Discovery of the bush tick (_Haemaphysalis longicornis_) in Virginia, after it was initially reported in the USA for time in New Jersey in November 2017 is of serious concern. It is not clear how this tick arrived in New Jersey and in Virginia, or if these 2 events are connected. As the report above indicates, this tick is a vector of important pathogens that infect people and domestic animals. One hopes that there will be intensified surveillance in the area in Virginia to find out if there are additional bush ticks in the area. Ticks can be extremely difficult to control, once established in an area. Presumably, the domestic animals in the location where the tick was found have been treated to eliminate ticks of this or any other species.

An image of _Haemaphysalis longicornis_ can be seen at http://medent.usyd.edu.au/ photos/tickst.jpg .

ProMED-mail thanks Joe Annelli for sending in this report.

A map of Virginia, United States: http://healthmap.org/ promed/p/247 . - Mod.TY]


See Also

2017
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Invasive tick - USA: (NJ) 20171123.5462146
Tick-borne diseases - Japan 20170809.5237495
Severe fever w/ thrombocytopenia synd. - South Korea (02): (HN) 20170803.5223983
2016
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Theileria, bovine - Australia (02) 20160924.4509096
Theileria, bovine - Australia: (WA) 20160826.4444601
2014
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Severe fever w/ thrombocytopenia syndrome - China, South Korea 20140705.2589725
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