RISON - Theileria orientalis, a protozoan parasite that destroys red blood cells in cattle and could potentially cause death, has been confirmed in two head of cattle in Cleveland County, said David West, agricultural agent with the Cleveland County Cooperative Extension Service.Theileria orientalis is most commonly transmitted by the Asian longhorned tick, which state and federal agricultural officials describe as an invasive tick first reported in the U.S. in 2017 but later found to have been in the country since 2010.So far, most of the infections have been across northern Arkansas. According to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture (UADA), the two cases confirmed in Cleveland County on Aug. 7 represent the southern-most location in the state so far.The Theileria orientalis Ikeda genotype is a parasite that destroys red blood cells in cattle, leading to symptoms such as anemia, jaundice (yellowing of mucous membranes), weakness, lethargy, reduced appetite, fever, difficulty breathing, and potentially death.Kirsten Midkiff, extension animal health and wellbeing specialist for UADA, said cattle infected with Theileria exhibit symptoms that mirror Anaplasmosis, a bacterial disease many Arkansas cattle producers will likely be more familiar with.“We’ll see weight loss in those cattle, suppression of milk production, loss of appetite, anemia, and reproductive problems like abortions,” Midkiff said. “You’ll also see some jaundice, weakness or reluctance to move, even death in some cases.”In early June, Kelly Loftin, extension entomologist for the Division of Agriculture, co-authored an update on the prevalence of both the tick and the pathogen with fellow Division of Agriculture researchers Emily McDermott, Elizabeth Smith and Jeremy Powell. The Asian longhorned tick has been confirmed in Benton, Boone, Independence, Newton, Searcy and Washington counties. The Theileria pathogen...
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