Asian tick found in New Haven County

Insect considered a threat to dogs, people and livestock

NEW HAVEN — A tick considered a threat to people, pets and livestock has established itself in New Haven County, according to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

The Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, is an invasive carrier of diseases and was first discovered in Hunterdon County, N.J., in 2017; it was found in Fairfield County in 2020 and in at least 15 states, raising public and veterinary health concerns, according to a release.

At least four people have been bitten by the tick in Connecticut. It can transmit a virus that causes severe fever with thrombocytopenia, which causes a low

blood platelet count, in humans, among other pathogens.

Dogs, which are frequent hosts, are at risk for canine babesiosis, with symptoms that include abnormally dark urine, fever, weakness, depression, swollen lymph nodes and an enlarged spleen, according to VCA Hospitals. Severe cases can result in systemic shock and destroyed blood cells.

Theileria orientalis Ikeda genotype, found in cattle and in ticks in Virginia, also can be a threat to humans. It has caused major economic losses in Asia, New Zealand and Australia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Asian longhorned tick is native to eastern Asia and is invasive to Australia, New Zealand, and several Pacific Islands, the release stated. It prefers warm and moist conditions and feeds upon a wide variety of vertebrate hosts, the release said.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention An Asian longhorned tick nymph and adult female.