As if we didn’t have enough bad news to share right now, a tick species associated with bats has been spotted for the first time in New Jersey. The health risks are unknown, but this parasite, as a common vector of disease, can threaten humans, pets and livestock.
Bats and ticks seem to be an impure combination, as both species are notorious for spreading diseases. Sadly, the soft bat tick is known as Carrie Kelly Dozens of U.S. Known to live in the states, and, As new Research Published in the journal Medical Entomology, they have finally entered New Jersey, especially in Mercer and Sussex counties.
Last year, the larvae were identified by scientists from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Fish and Wildlife Department’s Endangered and Nongem Spices Program. Carrie Kelly On many large brown bats (Epithelial fuscus), In the probable sign that this soft tick is spreading. Rutgers University – James OC, a PhD student at the Rutters Center for Vector Biology in New Brunswick, is the lead author of the new study.
These are the so-called “soft” ticks Argaside Tick family, and, True with his name, They are soft to the touch, with a leathery look. Hard ticks, on the other hand, are Ixodide The family, and anyone with whom they come in contact, knows that this blood-sucking parasite is built like a small tank. Deer ticks, which spread Lyme disease in humans, fall into a variety of strains. All ticks, whether hard or soft, are more likely to be infected by pathogens because they feed on blood, as stated in the CCA email.
For no Carrie KellyThe risk of disease to humans is unknown, but there is cause for concern. Because these insects are known to bite people. What’s more, these ticks have found Harbor Fever group rickettsiosis (Group of diseases caused by closely related bacteria) and Fever again, According to the OC.
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Bats want to roost in human structures such as attics and pantries, where they can come into contact with their pathogens, humans, cats, dogs and livestock. Ticks are totally content to stay connected to their bat hosts, but the danger arises when the bat is removed from these human settings.
“Ticks are usually sitting in bats, And there’s no risk that they’ll jump on that handling bat. Indeed, ticks do not fly, ignore or jump and are generally slower blood feeders than mosquitoes, for example, ”Dina Fonseca, co-author of the new study from Rutgers-New Brunswick, said in an email. “The primary safety strategy is to be aware of the possibility of ticks being left behind once the bat is removed. Deprived of their normal blood source, This bat tick can bite people. ”
Mixing bats and ticks in this way is an additional problem, Given that bats have an uncanny number of diseases, both known and unknown. The presence of Carrie Kelly By highlighting the importance of studying these parasites, it is a possible sign that they are spreading to new regions.. For that, researchers will want to collect more tick specimens in and around New Jersey and test them for pathogens.
As an interesting fact, Carrie Kelly Technically, not the first soft tick to be found in New Jersey. Scientists back in 2001 Found Called the soft tick species Carios jersey Dating about 90 million to 94 million years ago in part of Amber. T.X has been around for quite some time, too Eating on dinosaur blood During Cretaceous.
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