Exotic Disease–Vector Tick Haemaphysalis longicornis
November 30th, 2018Beard CB, Occi J, Bonilla DL, et al. Multistate Infestation with the Exotic Disease–Vector Tick Haemaphysalis longicornis — United States, August 2017–September 2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2018;67:1310–1313. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6747a3.
“…..H. longicornis is native to eastern China, Japan, the Russian Far East, and Korea. It is an introduced, and now established, exotic species in Australia, New Zealand, and several island nations in the western Pacific Region. Where this tick exists, it is an important vector of human and animal disease agents. In China and Japan, it transmits the severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV), which causes a human hemorrhagic fever (2), and Rickettsia japonica, which causes Japanese spotted fever…..”
Counties and county equivalents* where Haemaphysalis longicornis has been reported (N = 45) — United States, August 2017–September 2018
| Host category, no. (% of total)/Species | No. (% of host category) |
|---|---|
| Domestic animal, 23 (61) | |
| Cat | 1 (4) |
| Cow | 4 (17) |
| Dog | 12 (52) |
| Goat | 2 (9) |
| Horse | 2 (9) |
| Sheep | 2 (9) |
| Total | 23 (100) |
| Wildlife, 13 (34) | |
| Coyote | 1 (8) |
| White-tailed deer | 7 (54) |
| Gray fox | 1 (8) |
| Groundhog | 1 (8) |
| Virginia opossum | 2 (15) |
| Raccoon | 1 (8) |
| Total | 13 (100) |
| Human, 2 (5) | 2 (100) |
| Total | 38 (100) |
