Scientists Caution Against Invasive Longhorn Mites Linked to Debilitating Aerlicia Infection

Invasive mites are increasingly spreading to various regions of the country, as rising temperatures can aggravate serious symptoms and facilitate the transmission of lesser-known infections that may occasionally lead to death.

In May, researchers from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven made a significant finding: ticks with elongated holes have become carriers of bacteria responsible for Ehrlichia infection. The rise in cases has raised substantial alarm.

“I hesitate to say it’s a brewing storm,” remarked Goudarz Molaei, director of the lab’s mite testing program. “Climate change will ultimately eliminate winters in our region, allowing these mites, among others, to remain active year-round.”

Milder temperatures, which have already resulted in shorter winters, heighten the risk of long-hole mites and other varieties awakening early from hibernation and biting.

The longhorn ticks, originally from East Asia, have now been identified in at least 21 states, including Michigan, where the first sighting was reported at the end of June. Researchers are uncertain how the tick entered the U.S., but it likely arrived via imported livestock or other animals.

In 2017, the first longhorned mites were identified in New Jersey, although the species may have been present in the U.S. as early as 2010.

“These are prevalent research findings,” noted Dana Price, an associate research professor of entomology at Rutgers University.

Modeling indicates that regions from southern Canada down through the U.S. are suitable environments for longhorned mites.

In summary, there are dual threats. As the geographic range of longhorned ticks expands, the duration of their activity and the potential for disease transmission also increase, scientists warn.

Ehrlichiosis is already so common that the affected region is informally labeled the “ehrlichiosis belt,” which stretches north to Connecticut and New York, including parts of Arkansas.

Both the lone star and black-legged ticks have long carried Ehrlichia Chaffeensis. The infection sends about 60% of patients to the hospital and results in mortality in 1 in 100 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Individuals who contract the infection typically experience fever, chills, muscle pain, headaches, and fatigue within 1-2 weeks post-bite. If left untreated, the infection can lead to serious complications, including brain and nervous system damage, respiratory failure, uncontrolled bleeding, and organ failure.

Since 2000, the number of reported cases of ehrlichiosis has steadily increased, with the CDC documenting 200 cases in 2000 compared to 2,093 in 2019. Research suggests that annual ehrlichiosis cases are likely severely underreported; according to a study from Rutgers University, 99% of cases go undetected.

This month, the CDC reported that emergency room visits related to tick bites in July were more frequent than in the previous eight Julys. Early in July, officials closed Pleasure Beach, a popular swimming location in Bridgeport, Connecticut, due to the discovery of multiple ticks, including longhorn ticks this summer.

Manisha Jutani, a commissioner for the Connecticut Department of Public Health, stated that as climate change makes the “tick season” more predictable, residents should take precautions such as wearing long pants and inspecting themselves and their pets for ticks after spending time outdoors.

“The reality is that with the changes we see in the climate, outdoor exposure poses infection risks, and we may encounter pathogens more frequently,” Jutani remarked.

While longhorn ticks generally prefer livestock blood over human blood, entomologists note that their unique reproductive biology poses a significant public health threat. Like bees, they can reproduce without a mate, enabling a single female to generate a population of thousands.

Moreover, feeding on the same host can allow them to ingest pathogens carried by other ticks. This co-feeding transmission method is commonplace among many tick species.

Molaei expressed concern over the recent identification of bacteria that cause ehrlichiosis in longhorned ticks, raising alarms about other pathogens that ticks might acquire and transmit to humans. Longhorned and lone star ticks, the original carriers of Ehrlichia, typically feed on similar hosts, like white-tailed deer.

“We share this world with numerous important mites and must learn to coexist with them,” Molaei stated. “The essential factor is to protect yourself.”

The World Health Organization indicates that over 17% of global infectious diseases are spread by vectors carrying viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens among animals. Tick-borne diseases in the U.S. make up 77% of reported vector-borne diseases, with CDC data showing that cases have more than doubled in the last 13 years.

Jennifer Pratt was bitten by a tick during this surge. She contracted ehrlichiosis from a tick bite in North Carolina in the summer of 2011.

When she struggled to lift her 2-year-old son, a nurse friend urged her to seek immediate medical attention, suspecting a tick-borne infection.

After being diagnosed, Pratt was on antibiotics for several months due to her illness. The infection caused her shoulder to lock—a rare but serious complication of tick-borne diseases—forcing her to undergo physical therapy and take three months off work.

Full recovery from the lingering effects of the infection took over a year.

“The best way I could describe it,” she recalled, “was that I felt like death.”

A few years later, as she started to recover, she was also diagnosed with Lyme disease and Babesiosis, both resulting from the same tick bite.

Pratt co-founded a nonprofit advocacy organization, Tick-Borne Conditions United, to raise awareness about the dangers of tick-borne diseases, especially lesser-known infections like ehrlichiosis.

“My mission in life is to help people recognize and confront the realities of tick-borne diseases,” Pratt said. “It’s vital that we raise awareness about this growing threat.”