ONC Reporting:
Ohio State University scientists have reported in the Journal of Medical Entomology on the state’s first known established population of invasive ticks, which can harm livestock and deer.
Researchers say the pests, known as Asian longhorned ticks, can be as small as a sesame seed. They were first detected in the U-S in New Jersey in 2017 and in Ohio in 2021.
Ohio State University Professor Risa Pesapane first found the ticks on a stray dog in Gallia County three years ago. Now, she says, they’ve spread to at least eleven counties, making complete eradication nearly impossible.
“We’re going to have to come up with options to manage that problem for those who have significant infestations.”
More information about spotting Asian longhorned ticks and preventing tick exposure is available on Ohio State’s “Bite Site” website.
Ohioans are encouraged to help with research efforts. People who think they’ve spotted an Asian longhorned tick can email ‘ticks@osu.edu’ for instructions on how to collect the specimen and send it to scientists as part of ongoing surveillance.
Asian longhorned ticks tend to favor large livestock and wildlife, such as cattle and deer. Just a handful of ticks out of more than a hundred screened for infectious agents tested positive for pathogens.
Pesapane adds that so far the ticks are not deemed to be a threat to human health.
“It does not seem to be especially interested in biting people. But this is a rapidly evolving situation with this tick. And we’re very cautiously observing, and documenting what its impact might be for humans and companion animals.”
But she adds, they are a potential threat to farmers and people working with animals because of their ability to rapidly reproduce asexually, with each female laying up to two thousand eggs at a time.