** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** AWARENESS AND CONCERN FOR EMERGING DISEASES AND INVASIVE SPECIES HAS BEEN INCREASING IN THE US. AN INVASIVE TICK SPECIES, HAEMAPHYSALIS LONGICORNS NEUMANN, ALSO KNOWN AS THE ASIAN LONGHORNED TICK, HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THE U.S. SINCE AUGUST 2017. CURRENTLY, 19 STATES HAVE CONFIRMED ESTABLISHED POPULATIONS OF H. LONGICORNIS INCLUDING ARKANSAS. H. LONGICORNIS IS KNOWN TO SERVE AS A VECTOR FOR MANY SERIOUS HUMAN AND LIVESTOCK DISEASES INCLUDING THEILERIA ORIENTALIS IKEDA GENOTYPE. T. ORIENTALIS IKEDA IS AN EMERGING DISEASE IN THE US WHICH CAN CAUSE SERIOUS DISEASE IN CATTLE WITH SYMPTOMS ARE SIMILAR TO ANAPLASMOSIS. IN ADDITION, H. LONGICORNIS IS CAPABLE OF EXSANGUINATING CATTLE BY MASS FEEDING. IT DOES NOT REQUIRE MATING TO REPRODUCE, RESULTING IN HIGH POPULATIONS. ITS ABILITY TO TRANSMIT T. ORIENTALIS CREATES A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO CATTLE PRODUCTION. THEILERIOSIS HAS RECENTLY CAUSED CATTLE DEATH IN MULTIPLE U.S. STATES. . OUR RESEARCH TEAM IS CAPABLE OF ACCOMPLISHING THIS STUDY TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE INCIDENCE OF THESE ISSUES. THE GOAL OF THIS PROPOSED PROJECT IS THAT ASSESSING THE PREVALENCE OF H. LONGICORNIS AND T. ORIENTALIS IKEDA AND EVALUATING HOST PREFERENCE WILL IMPROVE THE UNDERSTANDING AND FACTORS THAT AFFECT THE OCCURRENCE AND INCIDENCE OF THESE INVASIVE TICKS AND THIS EMERGING DISEASE. WE EXPECT THAT THE DATA COLLECTED WILL IMPROVE THE OVERALL KNOWLEDGE OF THIS INVASIVE TICK AND THE EMERGING DISEASE TO IMPROVE PREVENTION AND BIOSECURITY OPTIONS FOR CATTLE PRODUCERS.THIS RESEARCH WILL GENERATE CRITICAL DATA ON THE PREVALENCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF AN ECONOMICALLY IMPORTANT INVASIVE TICK AT THE WESTERN-MOST EDGE OF ITS CURRENT KNOWN INTRODUCED RANGE IN THE US. OUR RESULTS WILL ALSO INFORM THE RISK OF BOVINE THEILERIOSIS CAUSED BY T. ORIENTALIS IKEDA IN THE US. OUR PRELIMINARY DATA DEMONSTRATE OUR GROUP'S ABILITY TO IDENTIFY THE PARASITE IN BENTON, WASHINGTON, AND INDEPENDENCE COUNTIES OF ARKANSAS, AND WE PROPOSE THE TICK AS WELL AS THE PATHOGEN ARE LIKELY MORE WIDESPREAD THAN CURRENTLY DOCUMENTED. ULTIMATELY, THE DATA PRODUCED FROM SUCH A STUDY WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO FORMULATE EPIDEMIOLOGIC MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT COULD BE EASILY IMPLEMENTED BY VETERINARIANS, ENTOMOLOGISTS, AND CATTLE PRODUCERS. FUTURE WORK WILL FOCUS ON FURTHER OPTIMIZATION OF PARASITE AND DISEASE EPIDEMIOLOGY TO IMPROVE THE PREVENTION AND RISK ASSESSMENT FOR BEEF CATTLE PRODUCTION IN THE SOUTH-CENTRAL UNITED STATES.