Foreign Tick Species Discovered In New York

Ticks are scary. Unknown ticks from other countries? Eek!

It's probably one of those moments that freaks you out the most: finding a tick dug into your skin. First its just the disturbing part of an insect feeding on you, then there is the concern of getting sick from the bite. That said, I don't think this news will sit well with anyone.

A tick that is typically found in Australia, New Zealand and eastern Asia has been discovered in New York. According to a Times Union report, the tick, known as the 'longhorned tick,' was found in Westchester County. The article says the tick has also been identified in New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Arkansas.

Now the big question: can you catch anything from it? According to the Time Union story, this has happened in the tick's native countries but there is no evidence at this point if the longhorned tick is spreading disease here in the states.