A tick-transmitted livestock disease has been confirmed in Cleveland County for the first time, bringing to 11 the number of Arkansas counties with Theileria orientalis detections.
Theileria orientalis is a tick-borne pathogen commonly associated with the Asian longhorned tick — Haemaphysalis longicornis. The pathogen has two genotypes: Ikeda and Chitose. The more harmful of the two genotypes, Ikeda, has been identified in 10 Arkansas counties, two of which have also been confirmed to have Chitose.
Lonoke County is currently the only county in the state to have identified the Chitose genotype but not the Ikeda genotype…