By ELIZABETH WHITE, Associated Press Writer Sat Apr 19, 1:41 PM ET
LAREDO, Texas -
Fred Garza has been patrolling a piece of the Rio Grande for 16 years, usually riding solo on horseback, sometimes venturing to areas where his radio and cell phone have limited range.
But Garza's not looking for drug smugglers, human traffickers or illegal immigrants.
He's looking for stray livestock that might be carrying a tick, a tiny pest with a deadly disease, into the United States.
"If it doesn't have hooves, it's not our concern," Garza said.
Garza is a veteran of the 61-person U.S. Department of Agriculture "Tick Rider" force, a group that keeps watch over a 700-mile buffer zone along the Rio Grande from Brownsville to Del Rio.
They inspect both foreign strays and native ranch animals for the fever tick, a parasite eradicated from the U.S. 65 years ago that can transmit disease to cattle and could spread to the entire southeastern U.S. if not controlled.
Lately, the tick has managed to migrate beyond the 862-square mile permanent quarantine zone, an area from which cattle can't be removed unless they are free of ticks.
The spread has forced the formation of three temporary quarantine zones totaling more than 1,100-square miles.
Bob Hillman, state veterinarian and executive director of the Texas Animal Health Commission, said officials are concerned that the fever ticks may spread to other parts of the country.
"They're not adept at dealing with fever ticks in other parts of the country," Hillman said.
To move cattle from any quarantine zone and into the "free area," they must be "scratched," or inspected, for ticks.
On the ranch, that usually involves forcing four or five cattle into a narrow chute where their udders, flanks and other areas can be felt for ticks.
In the wild, it means cattle must be "apprehended" -- that's tick rider-speak for roped -- for a thorough check.
"Each inspector has to familiarize himself to the point that he knows each and every head of livestock," said Jack Gilpin, south assistant field director for the USDA Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program.
Finding just one in a herd costs thousands of dollars to ranchers, who must round up the cattle and have them treated -- often multiple times -- with an injection or pesticide spray or dip before they can be transported.
"It's hard on the landowner. (But) that's our job," said rider James Wells, who keeps his fingernails long to more easily pluck the critters, which when full of blood are still no bigger than the nail of a pinky finger.
The tick was virtually eradicated in the U.S. by 1943, a few years after the quarantine zone was established, Hillman said.
The last major tick outbreak was in 1972.
In 2004-05 there was another outbreak, and now the current infestation is nearing that level, but no disease has been detected.
"We're pretty much on par to set another record" since the 70s outbreak, Hillman said. "It's a dubious record."
Cattle tick fever can kill up to 90 percent of infected cattle, causing anemia, weight loss and bloody urine before death.
"During a heavy infestation, if you put your hand" on an animal, Garza said, "you might touch 50 ticks."
The eradication program received $5.2 million in emergency funding to fight the tick spread in the temporary quarantine zones.
Hillman said original requests had been for $13 million. **************************
"We're appreciative of the funds we receive for the tick program, but it's very obvious that if you need 13 (million) and get 5 (million), you can't do the work you need to do," Hillman said.
"If you double the size of quarantine area, you can't do same work in more than twice the area with same personnel and equipment."
Bruce Knight, USDA undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, wouldn't discuss how much was originally requested.
But he said the USDA is "optimistic this $5.2 million in emergency funding should be adequate to get ahead of this pest problem."
In recent decades the fever has caused few deaths because tick riders have been able to keep ahead of it, said Ed Bowers, director of field operations for the tick eradication program.
But one of the newest challenges to limiting the spread of the pest is its movement on wildlife.
White-tailed deer, elk, red deer and nilgai antelope can carry the tick far and wide. Tick riders can't inspect them like a slow-moving cow, and ranch fences do little to keep them in check.
"Game can keep the tick population going in any given area," Gilpin said.
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posted
This news is also on aol's home page - it's getting good press...
Posts: 13171 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
robin, yes, it is!
after reading and highliting certain things, it's an AGRICULTURE PROBLEM TOO except they ARE GETTING MORE MONEY!! i don't know if it's MORE OR LESS THAN LYME DISEASE ITSELF!
map1131
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2022
posted
Good for the cattle. I'm glad they are being tick checked. I read this story this morning in our paper.
If these cows could only talk? They would be saying, hey dummy, you feel that nymph tick under my udder? Didn't think so. You better be removing that mean son of gun?
I'm glad our cattle get more notice than our citizens. After all we wouldn't want any bad bacteria, parasites or anything to effect our beef?
They just think they have things under control? Now if they just knew the rest of the story?
Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6495 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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posted
That's interesting - so this is cattle babesia and not human babesia? Different protozoa for different mammals?
Posts: 13171 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
Dad had BLASTOMYCOSIS, a virus caused by animals: cattle and possibly pigs in 1955; it's a CO-INFECTION TOO!!!
thanks bea for your info!
i just suggested in congress bills that this post should be copied and emailed/faxed to 3 chairs of our lyme bill also!
i just called again the 3 offices in 4 minutes!
explained who i was, please put this on their hearing agenda as the bill has been there 10 years with NO ACTION AT ALL.
it's we lyme patients are the ones suffering for this; out of pocket expenses for medical and traveling since IOWA DOES NOT HAVE A CHRONIC LLMD HERE,
infectious drs. wrote congresss, and it's full of 50-75% LIES.
we need to get both sides out on the table and go from there as again, it's us PATIENTS, NO ONE ELSE, that is suffering for this.
yes, our llmds are...but i didn't say that to them.
i asked pallone's man if they'd gotten many calls; YES!
last call to dingle's office ... i got someone who listened and SLAMMED DOWN THE PHONE AS SHE SAID THANK YOU FOR CALLING! manners *****************************
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daise
Unregistered
posted
I just sent an email to that site for CN at [email protected].
I informed them that humans indeed get babesia. I encouraged them to come here and post and say who they represent. We could educate this organization.
I wrote that humans and critters are all in this together.
TuTu: What is FIL?
Ya--the inspectors of those cattle have hazardous duty, all right.
quote:Originally posted by daise: TuTu: What is FIL?
Aw heck. You're gonna make me type that out!!!
Father-in-law!
I don't think humans get this particular strain of babesia....but then again.....
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96239 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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daise
Unregistered
posted
Hi Tutu,
Yes, but then again ... we are technically animals. An animal is an animal.
daise
[Edited: What does your FIL say about it? Are there a lot of babesia signs and symptoms in humans, in his area? (I take it that you meant he has his ranch in the quarantine area.)]
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map1131
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 2022
posted
So Tutu, I bet your FIL knows tick/vector borne illnesses? It destroys cattle/cows, right? I bet FIL would then call the vet and the abx is easily dispensed to the cattle.
So in Texas, you guys just need to go to the doctors and tell them you got tick fever and they rx abx immediately after bite?
I'm sorry but if I had myself a tick rider, I would have had a completely different life the last 10 or so years. WOW
In Ky we are known for our horses/thoroughbreds. I'll have to ask a good friend that's a racing trainer/horseman what's protocol for a horse with suspect tick fever. He's originally born and breed from Texas.
Pam
-------------------- "Never, never, never, never, never give up" Winston Churchill Posts: 6495 | From Louisville, Ky | Registered: Jan 2002
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daise
Unregistered
posted
Yup, BettyG!
I sent a 20 page email out to Lymies here, with the calling scripts next to each name and phone number.
The letters, I already addressed, to make it simple as pie for really bad-off Lymies.
very impressed by your initiative and making it easy for those SO SICK who barely are functioning to be involved in THEIR LIFE DECISIONS OF THIS LYME BILL!
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