TICKS

Tick Families: Ixodidae - Hard Ticks, Argasidae –

Soft Ticks, Nuttalliellidae - rare, S. Africa (single
species)

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 Soft tick Hard tick
(Family Argasidae) (Family Ixodidae)
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Female hard tick Male hard tick
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 Soft tick Hard tick
(Family Argasidae) (Family Ixodidae)
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 AVOIDING TICKS
• Wear light-colored clothing to allow you to see ticks
that are crawling on your clothing.

• Tuck your pants legs into your socks so that ticks

cannot crawl up the inside of your pants legs.

• Apply repellants to discourage tick attachment.

Repellents containing permethrin can be sprayed on
boots and clothing, and will last for several days.
Repellents containing DEET (Diethyl-meta-toluamide)
can be applied to the skin, but will last only a few
hours before reapplication is necessary.

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 AVOIDING TICKS - II

• Conduct a body check upon return from potentially

tick-infested areas by searching your entire body for
ticks. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all
parts of your body. Remove any tick you find on your
body.

• Parents should check their children for ticks,

especially in the hair, when returning from potentially
tick-infested areas. Additionally, ticks may be carried
into the household on clothing and pets. Both
should be examined carefully.

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 Medical Importance of Ticks

1. Dermatosis - inflammation, itching ,

swelling at site of bite
2. Exsanguination - anemia can result from
heavy infestation
3. Otoacariasis - auditory canal infestation,
poss. secondary infection
4. Predispose to myiasis and infection
5. Tick paralysis (envenomization)
6. Pathogen transmission (virus, rickettsia,
bacteria, spirochaete, protozoa, filarial
worms)
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 Non-viral Tick-Borne Pathogens
• Lyme Disease (Borrelia burgdorferi)
• Babesia microti (malaria-like)
• Ehrlichia species
• Relapsing fever (Borrelia species)
• Tularemia (Francisella tularensis)
• RMSF (Rickettsia rickettsii)
• Tick typhus (Rickettsia sp.)
• Heartwater (Cowdria ruminantium)
• Anaplasmosis (Anaplasma sp.)
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 MITES
Free-living, predaceous and parasitic - endo/ecto

Skin damage to livestock, as much as $5 million

/year in economic damage

Effects on humans and animals:

1. dermatitis or other tissue damage

2. loss of blood or other tissue fluids
3. transfer of pathogenic agents
4. cause of strong allergic reactions
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ACARIASIS - infestation with mites

Possible sites of infestation:

• external, inner and middle ear
• respiratory passages and lungs
• nasal passages
• lymphatic tissue

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Sarcoptes scabei 12
 MITES - Control

Sampling

1. Removal from outside host, with wash

2. Skin scraping for intradermal forms

3. Drag similar to tick flagging

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 MITES - Control
Direct host treatment

a. for human scabies, repeated treatments with

ointments containing sulfur, benzyl benzoate,
thiabendazole, or an approved insecticide
(permethrin) - lindane resistance

b. injection of products such as Ivermectin

c. insecticidal dipping for domestic animals

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 MITES - Control
• Premise spray

a. spray roosts for chicken/fowl mites

• Repellent/Toxicant

a. permethrin
b. apply to socks, bottom of pant legs

• Quarantine
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Sarcoptes scabei 16
 Scabies
• Scabies is an infestation of the skin with
the microscopic mite Sarcoptes scabei.
Infestation is common, found worldwide,
and affects people of all races and
social classes.
• Scabies spreads rapidly under crowded
conditions where there is frequent skin-
to-skin contact between people, such as
in hospitals, institutions, child-care
facilities, and nursing homes.
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 Scabies - Symptoms
• Pimple-like irritations, burrows or rash of
the skin, especially the webbing between
the fingers; the skin folds on the wrist,
elbow, or knee; the penis, the breast, or
shoulder blades.
• Intense itching, especially at night and
over most of the body.
• Sores on the body caused by scratching.
These sores can sometimes become
infected with bacteria.
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 Scabies - Infestation
• By direct, prolonged, skin-to-skin contact
with a person already infested with scabies.
Contact must be prolonged (a quick
handshake or hug will usually not spread
infestation). Infestation is easily spread to
sexual partners and household members.
Infestation may also occur by sharing
clothing, towels, and bedding.
• People with weakened immune systems
and the elderly are at risk for a more severe
form of scabies, called Norwegian or
crusted scabies. 19
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