On May 6, the first Asian longhorned tick was confirmed in Illinois. The tick was found in Morgan County on April 12 during a routine active tick surveillance, as part of the Illinois Department of Public Health grant-funded active tick surveillance program.

Additional tick surveillance in the area discovered two more Asian longhorned ticks on April 24.

What to know

Asian longhorned ticks are light brown, smaller than a sesame seed and roughly pea-sized when engorged. They can carry pathogens that cause diseases in humans and livestock. The tick can reproduce without a mate, laying up to 2,000 eggs at a time.

“I know everyone gets busy especially during farming season, and they put cattle out to pasture, but it’s more important than ever to look for tick infestations,” says Teresa Steckler, University of Illinois Extension specialist. “This tick can easily get established in an area and infest your livestock if left unchecked.”

Steckler says large numbers of Asian longhorned ticks have been found in livestock, primarily sheep and cattle, resulting in severe distress and death. She advises the following tick control measures on Illinois farms:

“This tick will basically bite anything that has blood in it,” Steckler says. “This means that people need to be more vigilant about their livestock, pets and themselves. They need to take preventative caution or preventative measures to protect their livestock and themselves from tick bites.”

In the U.S. cattle herd, the primary disease of concern from Asian longhorn tick is theileria. Theileria presents like anaplasmosis with symptoms including anemia, weakness, lethargy, poor appetite, fever and pale mucous membranes. Pregnant heifers and calves are the most susceptible to the disease.

“There is no approved treatment or effective vaccine against theileria, and cattle that recover from initial illness become chronic carriers of disease,” Steckler says. “While Asian longhorned tick can spread theileria, routine husbandry practices can also spread theileria.”

The Illinois Department of Agriculture, Illinois Department of Public Health and Illinois Department of Natural Resources are monitoring the situation in partnership with USDA. If anyone believes they have identified an Asian longhorned tick on an animal, place the tick in a jar with isopropyl alcohol and call IDOA at 217-782-4944.