Ticks are a major animal health disease concern on the Northern Tablelands. Three species of tick (from about 75 found in Australia) normally cause us concern in the Northern Tablelands region:
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1. cattle tick (Boophilus microplus) - normally in Queensland, it spreads highly-fatal tick fever parasites;
2. bush tick (Haemophysalis longicornis) - our most common tick, it spreads Theileria, a blood parasite;
3. paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) – occurs north of Tenterfield and on the coast, it injects a toxin when it bites livestock, working dogs, pets or people.
Tick One - Cattle tick
Cattle brought down from the tick area of Queensland are a constant concern for producers here.
There are checkpoints for inspection and treatment of livestock being moved out of the tick area but every so often someone tries to avoid the proper channels. This could result in adult female ticks arriving on a NSW property and laying their eggs. The greatest worry would be that these ticks and the animals feeding them were carrying tick fever parasites that could spread to other stock and cause rapid deaths.
The whole infected property would be put in quarantine with repeated inspections and treatment of all stock. Adjacent neighbours with stock may be implicated in the quarantine process. National Livestock Identification System (NLIS) ear-tags and National Vendor Declaration (NVD) forms would allow the farm of origin to be traced as well as any properties where stock might have been moved to.
However, imagine if the infestation wasn’t noticed straightaway or the animals had been moved illegally or without NLIS tags or NVD. The ticks could breed and spread over a large area before an investigation was carried out and control measures put in place. This would undermine the whole livestock traceability system that helps us to track diseases, prevent major outbreaks and gives our livestock products a major advantage in international markets.
Tick Two - Bush tick
Pale, anaemic, weak, aborting, collapsed, thin or dead cattle are some signs of infection with Theileria – a blood parasite first diagnosed in 2006 on the North Coast but which has spread up onto the Northern Tablelands with the movement of cattle. Now that it’s here, it is spread by bush ticks when they feed off infected cattle (other animals aren’t affected).
Ticks can spread between properties via kangaroos, dogs etc. which increases the risk of spread from neighbouring properties and travelling stock. Theileria is now widespread on a large percentage of Northern Tablelands properties and is widespread in eastern Australia. It still causes deaths in calves and adult cattle; pregnant heifers may abort and productivity can be severely handicapped.
Tick Three – Paralysis tick
They only took their pet dog down to the coast for a long week-end and checked it free from ticks when they got back. Three days later, the minute paralysis tick hiding under the collar had grown about eight times and the nerve toxin injected over that time was making the dog weak and wobbly on its hind legs. Anti-toxin from their private vet and a bit of fluid therapy helped the dog survive – but it was a close call.
Northern Tablelands Local Land Services sometimes receives calls about ‘wobbly calves’ and working dogs and less often, lambs. They’ve been bitten by a paralysis tick and are going down with the effects of the toxin. Rapid treatment with anti-toxin is needed or else the animal dies – just giving it a short of penicillin won’t work.
Take-home Messages
- Ticks can and do occur on the Northern Tablelands – even if you don’t see them very often. They only feed once or twice a year for a few days and spend most of their time on the ground.
- Livestock can be brought down from Queensland but tick inspection and treatment must be done. (Note: Cattle ticks occur on the northern NSW coast but without the tick fever parasites).
- NLIS tags and NVDs are compulsory to protect our livestock industry and allow international trade. As a buyer, don’t accept stock without either; as a seller, all livestock should have an NLIS tag when leaving your property and paperwork filled-in completely and correctly.
- Know the Theileria status of both your own cattle and stock you are bringing onto your property.
- Ask for an Animal Health Statement with information about diseases when purchasing stock.
- Remember that ticks can attach to people and pets as well as livestock and can cause some nasty diseases despite their small size.
For more information on ticks and their impacts on animal health, contact Northern Tablelands Local Land Services District Vet, Nigel Brown, on 0419 434 087.
