An invasive tick has been found in Maine for the first time.
A nymph Asian longhorned tick was collected recently in Cumberland County, but no additional ticks have been found in that area since then, according to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
That raises concerns for livestock care, wildlife management and public health.
“This discovery underscores the critical importance of continued tick surveillance in Maine,” Griffin Dill, director of the UMaine Extension Tick Lab, said Tuesday morning. “While this appears to be an isolated case, we are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with state and federal partners. Early detection is essential to understanding and mitigating the potential risks associated with this species.”
The Asian longhorned tick is native to East Asia and was found for the first time in the United States in New Jersey back in 2017. It has now spread to at least 20 states.
The tick feeds on livestock, pets, wildlife and people, and it can spread a pathogen among cattle, which can leave them significantly ill, according to the UMaine Cooperative Extension.
Unlike other tick species, the female Asian longhorned tick can reproduce without mating, meaning a single tick can cause an infestation. The Cooperative Extension stressed that the tick found in Cumberland County was a nymph and unable to reproduce.
While the Asian longhorned tick can sicken cattle, it is unable to carry and transmit other tick-borne diseases such as Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, which can be deadly to humans. It has been known to transmit bacteria and viruses that can seriously sicken humans, but no such cases have yet been reported in the U.S.