In 2017, Virginia Tech veterinary pathologist Kevin Lahmers identified the Asian longhorned tick as the source of seven cattle deaths in Albemarle County. The tick transmits the disease Theileria orientalis, and although it has been identified in other regions of the U.S, the Ikeda subtype found in 21 Virginia is a new discovery.

ViTALS is the only laboratory in the U.S. capable of testing for the Ikeda genotype, which causes anemia in cattle.