Parasites Don’t Respect Borders—And They’re Expanding Faster Than Ever
For many pet owners, protecting animals from parasites is about preventing itchy bites, skin irritation, or the occasional trip to the veterinarian. But from the perspective of those of us who work in animal health, parasites represent something much bigger.
Parasites are among the most adaptable threats in the global animal health landscape, evolving, spreading, and establishing themselves in new environments with remarkable speed. As temperatures shift, ecosystems change, and animals and people move more frequently across regions, these disease-carrying pests are expanding their territory in ways that would have been difficult to imagine just a generation ago. The result is a growing challenge not only for animal health, but for public health, food security, and the economies that depend on healthy animals.
A Threat on the Move
Fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, mites, and internal parasites have always been part of the natural world, yet they are expanding the geographies where they survive and thrive, appearing in regions where they were once uncommon. Case in point: New World Screwworm, which, after decades of successful efforts to push this devastating pest out of the United States, has been detected in Texas. Heartworm, which used to be a problem only in the south, is now a U.S. wide health issue for pet dogs.
More Than a Nuisance
Too often, parasites are seen as a seasonal nuisance, but they are highly effective at causing and spreading disease.
Ticks can carry pathogens that cause Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and ehrlichiosis. Mosquitoes transmit heartworm disease and other serious illnesses. Intestinal parasites can threaten both animal and human health. Flea infestations can cause life threatening conditions in our kittens and a multitude of diseases in people. Many of these diseases can have lasting health consequences and may be especially dangerous for children, older adults, and people with compromised immune systems.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly half a million Americans are diagnosed and treated for a tick-borne disease each year. Mosquito-borne, flea and tick-borne diseases have increased dramatically over the past two decades, while experts continue to track the movement of emerging pests into previously unaffected regions.
Prevention Is Our Strongest Tool
We are not powerless against parasites. Animal medicines prevent infestations and interrupt disease transmission. Today’s parasite-control tools include oral medications, topical treatments, medicated collars, injectables, and other preventive products. For livestock producers, parasite-control medicines help keep animals healthy and productive while protecting the food supply. For pet owners, they help ensure animals remain healthy members of the family.
Most importantly, prevention stops problems before they start. Treating Lyme disease is far more difficult than preventing the tick bite that caused it. Managing heartworm disease is far more costly and risky than preventing infection in the first place. Controlling a New World screwworm outbreak is far more disruptive and expensive than maintaining the surveillance, prevention, and treatment tools needed to keep the pest from becoming established. And diagnostic tools allow vets to more quicky and accurately diagnose the presence of internal parasites that threaten our animals’ health.
Staying Ahead of an Evolving Threat
As parasites continue to adapt and spread, the animal health community must remain equally agile. Researchers are developing new technologies and animal health companies are investing in innovative approaches to meet emerging challenges, including enhanced diagnostics. Maintaining science-based regulatory systems that support innovation is essential to ensuring new tools can reach veterinarians, farmers, ranchers, and pet owners when they are needed most.
