First Report of(Neumann) in Oklahoma, USA.

Abstract

(Neumann), the Asian longhorned tick, is a species native to East Asia, but invasive to Australia, New Zealand, and most recently, the United States. It has spread rapidly across the eastern United States after being established in New Jersey in 2017. Aiding this rapid expansion is the ability of this tick to reproduce parthenogenically and feed on diverse host species. In cattle, this tick can cause heavy burdens and act as a vector for the pathogenic hemoprotozoan parasite, genotype Ikeda, creating economic losses that impact the cattle industry. Here, we report Asian longhorned ticks, collected from cattle, a dog, and pastures and morphologically identified at the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory asbefore molecular confirmation through PCR amplification of thegene. Blood samples from infested cattle were collected and assessed molecularly for the presence of, with no pathogenic DNA detected. This report describes the first record ofin Oklahoma and the farthest westward detection of this tick in the United States to date.