In today’s Beef Buzz, Senior Farm and Ranch Broadcaster Ron Hays speaks with Dr. Kathy Simmons, chief veterinary officer for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, about the growing concern surrounding the invasive longhorn tick and the disease it spreads among cattle.
Simmons explained that while many producers still know it as the Asian longhorn tick, the official name has been shortened. “It was known formerly as the Asian longhorn tick. We’re now with taxonomists, pretty much shortened it to longhorn tick, but it’s the same little beast,” Simmons said.
The invasive pest originated in Asia and has spread rapidly since it was first identified in the United States in 2017, although Simmons said researchers later discovered it had likely been present years earlier. “This tick has really become invasive. It’s now in 26 states and the District of Columbia, so we are doing all we can as far as surveillance,” she said.
One reason the tick has spread so quickly is its unusual ability to reproduce without males. “The biggest problem with this tick is that they do not need a male to sexually reproduce. They can reproduce asexually… the female can lay eggs that are fertile, and we can essentially establish a population in a very short period of time.”
Disease Creates Long-Term Management Challenges
Beyond the tick itself, Simmons said producers should be most concerned about the parasite it carries, Theileria orientalis Ikeda genotype, which causes infectious bovine anemia. “It is a problem for the cattle industry because it carries a protozoan parasite, Theileria orientalis, the Ikeda genotype, and we have no treatment for this, no cure.”
Animals that survive the initial illness remain infected for life, creating ongoing management concerns for producers. “When they’re persistently infected, that means that they can be a reservoir for the disease,” Simmons explained. “It can be transmitted then by the use of needles through blood… through ear tagging devices… and we think even by biting flies.”
Young calves can be especially vulnerable. “Some of them will essentially either be exsanguinated by just thousands of these ticks on the body, or they can succumb to the anemia,” Simmons said.
While the disease does not impact beef safety, it can affect herd health and productivity. “It doesn’t affect the meat, or it’s not a food safety issue, but it is an issue as far as the spread of the disease.”
Research and Surveillance Remain Top Priorities
With no effective treatment currently available, Simmons said prevention and surveillance are the industry’s best tools. “Tick control, pasture and environmental control… is universal for these tick-borne diseases,” she said.
NCBA is also pushing for additional federal funding to better understand the pest and develop new tools to combat it. “We’re going to work to manage it. We’re going to work to have surveillance so we know where we’re dealing with it, and we’re going to work to get research dollars to try to find some answers.”
Although the longhorn tick may continue expanding westward, Simmons noted that extremely hot, dry environments may naturally limit its spread. “The one states that maybe will be spared will be ones where it’s very hot and very dry. The tick does not like that kind of an environment.”
The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Ag Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR above for today’s show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.
