Asian Longhorned Tick

The Asian longhorned tick is an invasive tick that primarily impacts livestock health but may also spread pathogens that affect human health. Though they don’t usually bite humans, they do have the potential to amplify tick-borne diseases by spreading pathogens to other ticks that more commonly pose threats to humans.

Geographic Locations

Because one female can produce thousands of offspring without a male (they can reproduce parthenogenetically) only one tick is needed to create a population in a new area. Asian longhorned ticks are not picky eaters. They choose wide-ranging hosts including livestock and transient wildlife such as deer and birds.

Asian longhorned ticks are native to East Asia but considered invasive in the U.S. They were initially found on sheep in New Jersey in 2017 and are now found in many areas in the eastern U.S. and are spreading to new parts of New York State.

USDA Map of Reported Asian Longhorn Tick Locations

Hosts and Habitats

Asian longhorned ticks prefer pastures and meadows. They feed on many hosts but prefer cattle. Large numbers of ticks infest one host at one time which weakens the animal and can impact milk production. In extreme cases, Asian longhorned tick infestations can result in the death of the host animal.  

Pathogens

The most common diseases carried by Asian longhorned ticks are bovine theileriosis and babesiosis, which can impact a wide range of domestic animal species. While not widespread in the U.S. at this time, we continue to monitor the potential spread of these diseases.