Longhorned tick found in NW Arkansas

The longhorned tick has been confirmed in Arkansas, posing a threat to livestock and people, the Arkansas Agriculture Department said in a news release.

The exotic Asian tick was found on a dog in Benton County, the department said, citing the findings of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Veterinary Services Laboratory.

The tick’s presence in the United States was confirmed last year, in New Jersey. It has since been found in Virginia and West Virginia. There are no known direct links between the cases, the release said.

The longhorned tick is associated with bacterial and viral tick-borne diseases of animals and humans in other parts of the world. 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.

In other countries, the longhorned tick has been implicated in causing disease in humans. 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.