First glimpse into the origin and spread of the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, in the United States

Andrea Egizi^{1

2}, Leslie Bulaga-Seraphin³, Erika Alt⁴, Waheed I Bajwa⁵, Joshua Bernick⁶, Matthew Bickerton^{2

7

8}, Scott R Campbell⁹, Neeta Connally¹⁰, Kandai Doi¹¹, Richard C Falco¹², David N Gaines⁶, Telleasha L Greay¹³, Vanessa L Harper¹⁴, Allen C G Heath¹⁵, Ju Jiang¹⁶, Terry A Klein¹⁷, Lauren Maestas¹⁸, Thomas N Mather¹⁹, James L Occi², Charlotte L Oskam¹³, Jennifer Pendleton²⁰, Marissa Teator²⁰, Alec T Thompson²¹, Danielle M Tufts²², Rika Umemiya-Shirafuji²³, Meredith C VanAcker²², Michael J Yabsley^{21

24}, Dina M Fonseca²

Affiliations

¹ Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division, Tinton Falls, NJ, USA.
² Center for Vector Biology, Department of Entomology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
³ USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, Robbinsville, NJ, USA.
⁴ West Virginia Department of Agriculture, Animal Health Division, Charleston, WV, USA.
⁵ New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Vector Surveillance and Control, New York, NY, USA.
⁶ Virginia Department of Health, Division of Surveillance and Investigation, Richmond, VA, USA.
⁷ Bergen County Department of Health Services, Paramus, NJ, USA.
⁸ Rutgers Center for Vector Biology, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
⁹ Suffolk County Department of Health Services, Arthropod-Borne Disease Laboratory, Yaphank, NY, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT, USA.
¹¹ Laboratory of Wildlife Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Japan.
¹² New York State Department of Health, Louis Calder Center, Fordham University, Armonk, NY, USA.
¹³ Vector and Waterborne Pathogens Research Group, College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia.
¹⁴ USDA Veterinary Services, Seneca Rocks, WV, USA.
¹⁵ AgResearch Ltd, Hopkirk Research Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
¹⁶ Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, MD, USA.
¹⁷ Force Health Protection & Preventive Medicine, MEDDAC-Korea/65th Medical Brigade, APO AP 96271-5281, USA.
¹⁸ Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife, Newark, DE, USA.
¹⁹ TickEncounter Resource Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA.
²⁰ Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA.
²¹ Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
²² Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
²³ National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan.
²⁴ Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.

PMID: 32638553
DOI: 10.1111/zph.12743

First glimpse into the origin and spread of the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, in the United States

Andrea Egizi et al. Zoonoses Public Health. 2020 Sep.

. 2020 Sep;67(6):637-650.

doi: 10.1111/zph.12743. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division, Tinton Falls, NJ, USA.
² Center for Vector Biology, Department of Entomology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
³ USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, Robbinsville, NJ, USA.
⁴ West Virginia Department of Agriculture, Animal Health Division, Charleston, WV, USA.
⁵ New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Vector Surveillance and Control, New York, NY, USA.
⁶ Virginia Department of Health, Division of Surveillance and Investigation, Richmond, VA, USA.
⁷ Bergen County Department of Health Services, Paramus, NJ, USA.
⁸ Rutgers Center for Vector Biology, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
⁹ Suffolk County Department of Health Services, Arthropod-Borne Disease Laboratory, Yaphank, NY, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Western Connecticut State University, Danbury, CT, USA.
¹¹ Laboratory of Wildlife Medicine, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Japan.
¹² New York State Department of Health, Louis Calder Center, Fordham University, Armonk, NY, USA.
¹³ Vector and Waterborne Pathogens Research Group, College of Science, Health, Engineering and Education, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia.
¹⁴ USDA Veterinary Services, Seneca Rocks, WV, USA.
¹⁵ AgResearch Ltd, Hopkirk Research Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
¹⁶ Henry M. Jackson Foundation, Bethesda, MD, USA.
¹⁷ Force Health Protection & Preventive Medicine, MEDDAC-Korea/65th Medical Brigade, APO AP 96271-5281, USA.
¹⁸ Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife, Newark, DE, USA.
¹⁹ TickEncounter Resource Center, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, USA.
²⁰ Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA.
²¹ Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Department of Population Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
²² Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
²³ National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan.
²⁴ Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.

PMID: 32638553
DOI: 10.1111/zph.12743

Abstract

Established populations of Asian longhorned ticks (ALT), Haemaphysalis longicornis, were first identified in the United States (US) in 2017 by sequencing the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) 'barcoding' locus followed by morphological confirmation. Subsequent investigations detected ALT infestations in 12, mostly eastern, US states. To gain information on the origin and spread of US ALT, we (1) sequenced cox1 from ALT populations across 9 US states and (2) obtained cox1 sequences from potential source populations [China, Japan and Republic of Korea (ROK) as well as Australia, New Zealand and the Kingdom of Tonga (KOT)] both by sequencing and by downloading publicly available sequences in NCBI GenBank. Additionally, we conducted epidemiological investigations of properties near its initial detection locale in Hunterdon County, NJ, as well as a broader risk analysis for importation of ectoparasites into the area. In eastern Asian populations (China/Japan/ROK), we detected 35 cox1 haplotypes that neatly clustered into two clades with known bisexual versus parthenogenetic phenotypes. In Australia/New Zealand/KOT, we detected 10 cox1 haplotypes all falling within the parthenogenetic cluster. In the United States, we detected three differentially distributed cox1 haplotypes from the parthenogenetic cluster, supporting phenotypic evidence that US ALT are parthenogenetic. While none of the source populations examined had all three US cox1 haplotypes, a phylogeographic network analysis supports a northeast Asian source for the US populations. Within the United States, epidemiological investigations indicate ALT can be moved long distances by human transport of animals, such as horses and dogs, with smaller scale movements on wildlife. These results have relevant implications for efforts aimed at minimizing the spread of ALT in the United States and preventing additional exotic tick introductions.

Keywords: animal diseases; environment and public health; introduced species; population genetics; tick infestations; tick-borne diseases.

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References

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First glimpse into the origin and spread of the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, in the United States

Affiliations

First glimpse into the origin and spread of the Asian longhorned tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis, in the United States

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

References

REFERENCES

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