A species of exotic tick—the Asian longhorned tick—arrived in large numbers in Ohio in 2021 and the consequences wreaked havoc on a southeastern farm, leaving three cattle dead as a result of severe blood loss according to researchers.
The scientists from The Ohio State University have reported in the Journal of Medical Entomology on the state’s first known established population of Asian longhorned ticks, and are now conducting research focused on monitoring and managing these pests.
“They are going to spread to pretty much every part of Ohio and they are going to be a long-term management problem. There is no getting rid of them,” said Dr. Risa Pesapane, senior author of the paper and an assistant professor of veterinary preventive medicine at Ohio State.
“The good news about the ticks, though, is that most tick control agents that we currently have seem to kill them. Still, managing them is not easy because of how numerous they are and how easily they can come back.”
The Infectious Diseases Institute is leading the state of Ohio in tick research, education, and outreach through its collaborative, interdisciplinary research community and key partnerships with the Ohio Department of Health and several industry partners. The IDI will increase efforts in this growing area of research in 2024 as part of its strategic growth phase.