breed of bloodsucking tick normally found in continental Europe has been discovered in the UK for the first time.

Researchers from the University of Bristol also found that the number of dogs infested with all species of parasites was far higher than previously thought.
They raised fears that there is an increased risk of disease carried by the ticks infecting people and animals in this country.
Some will have been brought in for the first time by the foreign tick Dermacentor reticulates thought to have arrived here because of climate change.
Professor Richard Wall, head of the veterinary parasitology group at the university, which carried out the research, said: “The results suggest that the risk of infestation is far higher in dogs than previously thought. This has serious implications for the incidence of tick-borne disease.
“The study also confirms that a non-native species of tick, which is a major disease vector in Europe, is established in southern England.’’ Dog ticks can be infected with a number of diseases, including Lyme disease which, left untreated, can damage the human heart and nervous system.

The research, published in the journal Medical and Veterinary Entomology, studied 3,500 dogs treated by 173 veterinary surgeries.
They found that, at any one time, 14.9 per cent of dogs were infested with ticks.
Gun dogs such as retrievers, setters and spaniels, plus terriers and pastoral breeds traditionally used to guard livestock were found to be most susceptible. Longer-haired breeds
were more susceptible than short-haired varieties.
The foreign species of tick was found in south-east England and west Wales, raising fears it is a permanent resident. A non-native species of tick could help spread diseases from Europe in the UK, the researchers warned.

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