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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2020 FARMERS AND CONSUMERS MARKET BULLETIN – 404-656-3722 – agr.georgia.gov PAGE 15
Invasive tick species is cause for concern

Individuals, pet owners, livestock producers urged to be vigilant

By Nancy C. Hinkle, Ph.D. cause ALT is not native to North agnosed with Theileria orien- ommendations for other ticks. For humans,
UGA CAES Dept. of Entomology America, and there are no nat- talis Ikeda strain, which had tuck pants into socks. Treat pants below the
And ural controls – no predators or not previously been reported knees with permethrin-containing products
Michael J. Yabsley, Ph.D. parasites to suppress its numbers. in the U.S. and is transmitted (like Permanone, Duranon or Sawyer Insect
UGA College of Veterinary Medicine Animals have not developed any by ALT in Asia and Australia Repellent).
and Warnell School of Forestry and natural resistance to it, so it is (Oakes et al. 2019). Recently All pets should be on appropriate tick pre-
Natural Resources likely to thrive on both wildlife a cow in North Carolina died ventatives. Another important tactic is con-
and livestock. due to anemia related to an ducting daily tick checks of yourself, your
Most of us think Georgia has enough ticks ALT is parthenogenetic, mean- infestation with thousands of children and your pets. Fortunately, ticks are
– 22 species – but the Asian Longhorn Tick ing females reproduce without ALT. Neither T. orientalis nor slow in initiating feeding, so the consensus
(Haemaphysalis longicornis) is lurking less mating, and males are superflu- Anaplasma marginale was for most pathogens is that if we remove ticks
than 100 miles away in both North Carolina ous. A single female introduced detected in this cow. within 24 hours of attachment, the risk of
and Tennessee, so Georgia probably should into an area can start a new pop- Ticks do not fall out of pathogen transmission is slight.
prepare for an addition to its tick fauna. ulation, with infestations readily The Asian longhorned tick, trees but stay within a few Researchers at the University of Georgia
The ALT was first reported in continental spreading. Each female produces an invasive tick species inches of the ground due to have been collaborating with state, federal
recently identified in several
North America in 2017 from a sheep in New more than 2,000 eggs, so popula- Eastern U.S. states, has been water-regulatory require- and academic partners to conduct surveil-
Jersey, but archived specimens confirm its tions can rapidly explode. documented as far south as ments. They will be on tips lance for ALT in the eastern United States.
presence in West Virginia in 2010. It has since The main concerns regarding North Carolina. (UGA CAES of grasses, reaching out with UGA maintains a weekly-updated map, avail-
been reported in at least a dozen states along establishment of ALT are its po- Photo) their hooked claws, latching able at https://scwds.shinyapps.io/haemaph-
the Eastern Seaboard down to Arkansas, Ten- tential role as a pathogen vector onto your socks and then ysalis/. North Georgia is a priority area for
nessee and North Carolina. Its mode of dis- and its status as a livestock pest. In its na- climbing up. surveillance since ALT has been reported in
tribution is unknown, but this rapid spread tive range it can transmit numerous zoonotic Protection from ALT is the same as rec- North Carolina and Tennessee.
bodes poorly for containment. pathogens including bacterial (e.g., Ehrlich-
Originally from northeast Asia, this tick ia, Anaplasma, Borrelia, Rickettsia spp.) and UGA is interested in collecting ticks hotel shampoo bottle) or a sealed
was introduced to Australia and New Zealand viral (e.g., Powassan virus, severe fever with from a wide range of hosts, and Ziplock bag. Ticks from different
more than 100 years ago, where it established thrombocytopenia syndrome virus) patho- provides free tick identification. To animals should be put into separate
and became a major problem on cattle and gens. In addition, it can also transmit Babesia submit a specimen make note of: containers. Box specimens to
sheep. ALT presents a serious threat to live- and Theileria spp. to livestock, and morbidity (1) Host species from which prevent crushing (do not mail in
stock. In fact, in Australia it is known as “the and mortality may be caused by very large collected, envelopes; tick fragments cannot be
cattle tick.” But it appears this tick has not met tick burdens. (2) Your contact information, identified) and ship to:
a warm-blooded animal it doesn’t like, having To date in the United States, no pathogens (3) GPS coordinates for host
been found on more than two dozen hosts (in- have been found in ALT tested. However, there animal location (use cell phone Dr. M.J. Yabsley
cluding birds, which has serious implications have been two notable events involving ALT compass app). 589 DW Brooks Dr
for movement). They readily feed on rumi- and cattle. In August 2017, seven cattle from Wildlife Health Building
nants, horses, dogs, cats, humans and several Virginia with weakness and malaise died, and Put ticks in a teaspoonful of ethanol College of Vet Med, Univ. of Georgia
common wildlife species. in September an additional cow presented in a small vial (something like a Athens, GA 30602
Why is this tick of particular concern? Be- with anemia and weakness. This cow was di-
New test detects deadly mushroom toxins in seconds Two GeorGias: Early bloom expected
Can help treat cases of human, canine poisoning Continued From Page 1

By Kim Kaplan ing at their appearance, experts cannot see the toxin “What that means is that soils are going to dry out more quickly in the areas that
chemicals that lurk inside. aren’t getting rain, especially if they’re sandy soils, and so those soils may be a little bit
ALBANY, CALIFORNIA – A simple, portable Still this test only identifies the presence or ab- dry to plant in because you’ve got to have some moisture so the seeds can germinate.”
test that can detect the deadliest of mushroom poi- sence of this specific class of toxin; it does not de- She noted early stages of drought conditions have already begun to creep into the
sons in minutes has been developed by Agricultural tect other compounds such as hallucinogens or tox- state along the Florida border.
Research Service scientists and their colleagues. ins that cause other gastrointestinal or neurological Fruit growers may feel the most significant impact from a warm winter. Just as
Eating toxic mushrooms causes more than 100 symptoms. So, it cannot determine if a mushroom yellow dandelions are popping up, fruit trees are coming out of dormancy early. Knox
deaths a year, globally, and leaves thousands of peo- is edible. explained plants will use up more water as they start budding. While that may not be
ple in need of urgent medical assistance. Amanitin Mushroom hunting has gained in popularity in a problem in North Georgia, in the south the plant activity will dry out the soil even
is the class of mushroom toxins that cause the most the last several decades. A single mushroom identi- more.
serious issues. fication group on Facebook, among many, has more The looming issue for fruit growers now is preparing for a late cold snap just as
The new test can identify the presence of as little than 166,000 members. Foraging for mushrooms is their plants become active. Knox said she believes growers expect their fruit trees and
as 10 parts per billion (equivalent to 10 cents out of popular throughout most of Europe, Australia, Ja- plants to bloom early this year.
$10 million) of amanitin in about 10 minutes from pan, Korea, parts of the Middle East, and the Indian “The big problem with that is if we do switch weather patterns, we could still see
a rice grain size sample of a mushroom or in the subcontinent, as well as in Canada and the United a late frost, and on average in Georgia, the last frost of the year has been getting later
urine of someone who has eaten a poisonous am- States. Distinguishing toxic from nontoxic mush- over the last decade or so,” Knox said.
anitin-containing mushroom. The test also works room species is based on first correctly identifying Al Pearson of Pearson Farms in Fort Valley said every grower is aware of the pos-
with dog urine, as dogs are known to indiscriminate- the mushroom and then referencing a mushroom sibility of a spring frost. Pearson explained peach trees, along with other fruit crops in
ly eat mushrooms. field guide to determine if it is known to contain tox- Georgia, require an adequate amount of cold weather to bloom in the spring. He thinks
“We developed the test primarily for mushrooms ins or not. But mushrooms of the same species can his trees have gotten enough cold weather this winter.
as food products. Serendipitously, it was sensitive vary in appearance, especially at different life stages Pearson added that each season is different as the buds will speed up as the weather
enough to also detect the toxin in urine,” said ARS and habitats, making them very difficult to identify. warms and slow down as it cools. Pearson said he could only predict one thing: There
microbiologist Candace Bever, who worked on the Many poisonous mushrooms closely resemble will be a cold snap at Easter.
development. Bever is with the Foodborne Toxin edible wild mushrooms. For instance, the Spring- Easter is traditionally observed on the first Sunday after the first full moon occur-
Detection and Prevention Research Unit in Albany, time Amanita (Amanita velosa) is a highly desirable ring on or after the vernal equinox, recognized as the first day of spring. This year,
Calif. edible wild mushroom in the Pacific coastal United Easter falls on April 12.
No definitive point-of-care clinical diagnostic test States. But to the untrained eye, it can appear sim- “It might be a cold snap down to 25, and it might be a cold snap down to 35. At that
currently exists for amatoxin poisoning. Early detec- ilar to the Death cap mushroom A. phalloides. The same time, that’s when peaches are either blooming or have recently bloomed, so it’s
tion of amanitin in a patient’s urine would help doc- Death Cap accounts for more than 90 percent of fun- something that peach growers grow up with. We understand that the bloom period is
tors trying to make a diagnosis. gus-related poisoning deaths in Europe. a fragile period,” he said. “If we plant the right varieties in the right place, then most
“Our hope is that doctors and veterinarians will “This test can provide more information about years we’ll come through with a pretty good crop. Maybe not a full crop, but a pretty
be able to quickly and confidently identify amatoxin a wild mushroom beyond physical appearance and good crop.”
poisoning rather than having to clinically eliminate characteristics and detect something we cannot even Climatologist Knox said there is a trend toward warmer winters in recent years,
other suspected gastrointestinal diseases first,” she see – the presence of amanitins,” said Bever. If an along with later frosts. The two trends are different in that warm winters are caused
added. “We also hope that will give patients a better affordable product like this was available, foraging by the overall climate, while late frost is caused by weather patterns that occur when
chance at recovery, even though there are no clearly could become even more popular and possibly safer. the seasons change.
effective, specific treatments right now.” The new test is an immuno-assay and depends on
The test also could be a practical and definitive a very specifically reactive monoclonal antibody – Monitor UGA Agricultural Climatologist Pam Knox’s blog, “Climate
and Agriculture in the Southeast,” (https://site.extension.uga.
way for mushroom foragers to identify and avoid a lab-produced protein that detects and binds only edu/climate/) for updates on weather conditions affecting spring
eating mushrooms with amanitin toxin if a commer- with a specific target. Scientists from the University planting, growing and harvesting. Knox also suggests using a
cial partner can be found to produce and market a of California-Davis, Pet Emergency and Specialty combination of weather prediction resources, such as the National
test kit. This test is the most sensitive and reliable Center of Marin and Centers for Disease Control and Weather Service and the UGA Weather Network. The UGA
field method available to chemically identify ama- Prevention also contributed to this project. network collects data from stations throughout Georgia. To view
nitin-containing mushrooms. Although mushroom -Kim Kaplan is a public affairs specialist with this data, go to www.GeorgiaWeather.net.
experts can identify deadly mushrooms just by look- the USDA in Maryland.