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Health officials issue urgent warning after discovering first case of deadly bacteria carried by tick in US: 'Raising public awareness … is critical'
Researchers in Connecticut have identified a dangerous pathogen carried by a rapidly spreading, invasive species of tick, Patch reported.
The Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) is considered invasive in the United States, with initial sightings recorded in 2010, 2013, and 2017.
Many tick species pose a risk to human health because of their efficacy in spreading disease, particularly bloodborne illnesses such as Lyme disease, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis. That third pathogen is the one found by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.
According to NBC Connecticut, an Asian longhorned tick that tested positive for the bacterium responsible for ehrlichiosis "was found in Fairfield County sometime between 2021 and now."
"This discovery highlights the growing threat posed by invasive ticks," CAES Passive Tick and Tick-Borne Disease Surveillance Program Director Goudarz Molaei said. "Raising public awareness of emerging tick-borne illnesses is critical to both human and veterinary health."
Tickborne disease has been on the rise for decades.
"As typically colder and drier climates become warmer and wetter, there has been an expansion of ticks in the northern hemisphere and at higher altitudes where they were previously unable to survive," a Pfizer advisory cautioned.
Scientists say rising temperatures and volatile weather patterns are driving their incursions into new areas, as a study published in Scientific Reports in January evidenced.
Because the Asian longhorned tick is a relative newcomer to the U.S., researchers are still working to determine the gravity of the risk it poses to both humans and animals.
Researcher Risa Pesapane co-authored a paper about the species and its effect on livestock, citing the deaths of three head of cattle in Oklahoma in 2021.
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"To have been taken down by exsanguination by ticks, you can imagine that was tens of thousands of ticks on one animal," she explained.
At first glance, the worrisome proliferation of disease-spreading ticks seems insurmountable — but there are ways to reduce your risk of tick encounters and tick-related illnesses.
Chemical-free pest control methods are one way to avoid tick bites, and the Global Lyme Alliance recommends "products that use picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus" as effective deterrents on par with chemical pesticides.
Surprisingly, rewilding your yard may be another way to reduce the risk of encountering ticks, according to the David Suzuki Foundation.
"A growing body of ecological evidence … shows that replacing lawns with native plant gardens can disrupt tick-host interactions and reduce tick-borne disease risk, while also restoring biodiversity," the Foundation wrote.
Pesapane urged a multifaceted strategy for tick mitigation. "For a variety of reasons, I tell people you cannot spray your way out of an Asian longhorned tick infestation — it will require an integrated approach," she explained.
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