Warning: A New Dangerous Tick Invades the U.S.

Tick-borne diseases caused by viruses, rickettsiae, and spirochetal bacteria have become very common in many areas of the U.S., partly because of the increasing cohabitation of humans and the feral animals on which the ticks can over-winter. The most common tick vectors in the U.S. are deer ticks (Lyme), dog ticks (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever), and the Lone Star tick (ehrlichiosis).

The tick Haemaphysalis longicornis, native to China, Japan, the Russian Far East, and Korea and introduced to Australia and New Zealand, has now been detected in the U.S., first in New Jersey and then multiple times in eight eastern states and Arkansas. Researchers report findings from active and passive surveillance from August 2017 through September 2018, with…