Foreign Tick Species Found on Sheep in New Jersey

A species of tick native to Asia has been recently found infesting a sheep in rural New Jersey. First assumed to be native deer ticks, a county health agent identified them as Haemaphysalis longicornis. The tick is capable of transmitting a type of hemorraghic fever in China, but no pathogens have been identified on the ticks in New Jersey.

Read more about the Asian ticks found on a sheep in New Jersey at NPR. A scientific report on the incident can be read in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

More information on Haemaphysalis ticks can be found in the Merck Veterinary Manual.