RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Agriculture officials say a new species of tick which threatens livestock has turned up in North Carolina.
WLOS-TV in Asheville reports the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said the Longhorned tick was found on an opossum in Polk County. The tick has been identified previously in Arkansas, New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia. It is considered a pest of livestock in its native regions.
How the tick traveled from its native east Asia isn't known. Before its discovery last fall in New Jersey, the Longhorned tick wasn't typically found in the U.S.
While the Longhorned tick hasn't been linked to human infection in the U.S., the N.C. Division of Public Health is working with state agriculture officials to understand its distribution and monitor for diseases it may carry.
