OSU researching Asian Longhorned Tick that can be deadly for cattle

STILLWATER, Okla. (KFOR) — A heads up for cattle producers, there's a deadly tick in the United States, and researchers at Oklahoma State University are concerned.

Last year, a case was found in the Eastern part of the state.

"These ticks can be so high on a single cow that they can actually result in so much blood loss that the animal can die from that," said Dr. Jonathan Cammack, Assistant Professor at OSU and State Extension Specialist for Livestock, Entomology, and Parasitology.

Dr. Jonathan Cammack said the Asian Longhorned Tick, also known ALT is native to East Asia. It was first seen in the U.S. a decade ago, and in Oklahoma last year when it was discovered on cattle in Craig County.

"It's not going to have that bright white spot on it like a lone star. And they're also going to be very small, about half the size of the normal tick that we're usually expecting to see at this time of year," said Dr. Cammack.

They're also concerned with how fast the ticks can reproduce.

"They can reproduce asexually so they don't have that added challenge of locating a mate in the environment," said Dr. Cammack.

Which means a female can lay up to 2,500 eggs on one animal and that can consume enough blood to be deadly.

Now, they're hoping research can help with ideas to slow or stop the spread.

"There's a project going on at the vet school where they're collecting ticks that are suspected to be Asian Longhorned Ticks, and then they're testing them for the presence of this pathogen," said Dr. Cammack.

The pathogen they're testing for is the Theileria orientalis Ikeda genotype.

This year, the team is looking for new cases of the tick, and they hope ranchers will help them with surveillance. 

"It's just kind of, you know, being in tune with your animals, checking on them regularly, you know, not like you're saying every day, but you know, not also once a year either," said Dr. Cammack.

While they haven't seen any new cases in our state so far this year, the tick and pathogen are present in Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas.

If you see it on your cattle, call your local veterinarian or a local OSU Extension office so they can collect the ticks and get them tested.