The presence of a new tick has been discovered in Pennsylvania.
The Asian- or longhorn tick- has been found in a wild deer in Centre County.
While the tick is known to carry diseases that infect hogs and cattle in Asia, the state Department of Agriculture says its yet to be determined if the tick carries livestock diseases or infectious diseases in humans in the U.S.
“The tick is already in four other states besides PA,” agriculture spokesperson Shannon Powers said. “We don’t know yet if it carries diseases that can affect humans but there is reason to be concerned because the tick congregates in large numbers, in clusters, in livestock.”
They can lay as many as 2,000 eggs at a time and can cause anemia in livestock.
In addition to Pennsylvania, the tick has been found in Arkansas, New York, North Carolina and West Virginia.
Powers says people should protect their pets. In one other state, a longhorn tick has been reported on a dog, so they know dogs are possible hosts of this particular tick.
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