State and federal animal health officials monitoring the latest temporary quarantine area in deep South Texas have turned up additional premises testing positive for the presence of disease carrying cattle fever ticks, reports Southwest Farm Press.
The temporary preventive quarantine area (TPQA) was declared in October 2014 for Cameron County on the southern tip of Texas and is adjacent to the permanent fever tick quarantine area.
Originally, six premises were designated in the TPQA as infested with Babesia bovis and/or B. bigemina, microscopic parasites often spread by tick bites. As of the end of 2014, the number has doubled to 12 infected premises.
The Babesia organism attacks and destroys red blood cells once an animal is infected, causing acute anemia, high fever and enlargement of the spleen and liver, ultimately resulting in death for up to 90 percent of susceptible cattle.
The Texas Animal Health Commission works hand-in-hand with U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to monitor quarantine areas.