A tick species that's new to North Carolina has been found in the western part of the state. The longhorned tick was discovered on an opossum in Polk County and reported to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
This particular species is well-known in Asia, New Zealand and Australia, but has only recently been found in the U.S.
It's primarily a livestock tick. You'll find them in large groups in meadows and high-grassy areas.
Dr. John Sanders with Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center says the longhorned tick is large in size compared to the standard deer tick or dog tick.
“It has not been heavily associated with diseases of concern for us yet," he says. "I think this is much more of an agricultural concern than it is a human health concern at this point."
Sanders says preventing and treating a Longhorn tick bite is the same as any other. The species has also been identified in Arkansas, New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia.