(Fox 5) – In what might seem like a plague of Biblical proportions, swarms of an invasive new blood-thirsty tick have killed multiple cows in North Carolina and already have a taste for human blood. Asian longhorned ticks, otherwise known as “clone ticks,” are particularly worrisome because they have the ability to reproduce without a mate, and unfortunately, that’s not the worst part about them. A fully fed female can spawn as many as 2,000 offspring on her own, spreading various diseases to humans, such as the
Powassan virus. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting and seizures, according to the Centers for Disease Control. North Carolina’s Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services put out a press release saying that the death of five cows was linked to acute anemia caused by tick infestations. “The deceased young bull brought to our Northwestern Animal Disease Diagnostic Lab had more than 1,000 ticks on it and the owner had lost four other cattle under the same circumstances,” said the organization. READ MORE
