CDC warns of exotic ticks spreading across the nation that may carry diseases

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating a tick that is spreading widely across the United States. Nine states have reported finding the Asian longhorned tick, which is known to carry a variety of pathogens. The CDC said late last week it is investigating how the tick could impact the U.S. “The full public health and agricultural impact of this tick discovery and spread is unknown ... We are concerned that this tick, which can cause massive infestations on animals, on people, and in the environment, is spreading in the United States,” Ben Beard, deputy director of CDC’s Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, said in a statement. Asian longhorned ticks are somewhat unusual in that a single female tick can reproduce up to 2,000 eggs without mating. So, hundreds to thousands of ticks can be found on a single person or animal.