The tick of the agrarian family belongs to the class of arachnid, parasitomorphic ticks, which are very common in the territories of the former Soviet Union. It is for this reason that each person must necessarily know what actions should be taken with a bite so that the tick does not become the causative agent of serious diseases. It is noteworthy that the tick can bite both people and pets who are constantly in contact with family members and especially young children, who are the most vulnerable, because they do not understand the seriousness of what is happening, they often do not inform their parents about the bite.
Description
Argas ticks are carriers of many diseases, the most dangerous and common of which are spirochetes and the Central Asian form of tick-borne spirochetosis. In addition, they can carry on themselves:
- Taiga encephalitis.
- Tularemia.
- Typhoid fever.
It is noteworthy that the diseases that an adult suffers can be transmitted to the larvae by inheritance. This mainly concerns infectious or parasitic diseases that penetrate directly into the egg. It is for this reason that the tick population is often a serious threat to a stable epidemiological situation. Creating a so-called reservoir of serious viruses that can unexpectedly occur almost anywhere in the world.
Structure
In order to promptly take first aid in case of a bite, each person should know what the village tick looks like, the structure of which allows to distinguish it from most blood-sucking insects. The body of this tick is longitudinal or oval in shape, resembling an egg. The proboscis is located on the ventral side, while the dorsal shield is completely absent. The trunk cover of an argas tick is chitinous and small-collar.
It is rather difficult to determine the sex of an individual without special knowledge and appropriate devices, because sexual dimorphism is very weakly expressed. In addition, this species received from nature a characteristic welt that runs along the edges of the body and creates a visual edge on it.
Nutrition
A settlement tick can consume the blood of any vertebrate, regardless of age and individual characteristics. At the same time, the time required to completely fill the stomach is from 3 minutes to an hour, it all depends on the temperature conditions in which the bite was carried out. During the stay on the body, the tick can consume a volume of blood 12 times its own weight.
Be sure to keep in mind that if you have a tick found on your body, then you can become a direct carrier of serious diseases. Scientists have been able to find out that it is the ticks belonging to the Argas family that can infect you with tick-borne typhus, and the causative agent of the disease is transmitted immediately in several ways, transovarial and transphase.
Breeding
Bisexual reproduction enables stable reproduction, which has a significant impact on the speed with which a tick develops. The development cycle includes a phased transformation. First of all, a larva is formed from an egg, which, through repeated degeneration in the nymphal stage, is transformed into a full-fledged argas tick.
The female lays eggs immediately after she finishes drinking blood. At the same time, he is trying to choose the most secluded place for them. On average, their number at a time does not exceed hundreds, but during her life she can lay about a thousand eggs every year, each of which will later grow a new tick that needs to be nourished.
Larvae
After leaving the food source, ticks begin to mate. From the eggs that the settlement mite laid, within a month, fully formed larvae begin to emerge, which immediately begin to search for themselves the first sources of food. In the future, it is the first blood that they will use that will serve as the main impetus for further development into a full-fledged individual. At this stage of development, the size of the tick does not exceed 2 mm, and a beige or light brown shade predominates in the color.
In the event that the temperature during the period when they find a source of food for themselves remains favorable, the standard development cycle is about a year, under adverse conditions, it can increase to two years. At the same time, their body mass increases by more than 20 times over several days. The body of the tick is covered with small spikes that molt as they grow older.
In the future, a fully developed tick may not eat up to 10 years, without experiencing much discomfort from forced starvation. In general, the time required to spend the tick in order to go through all stages of development is up to a quarter of a century.
The main types and features of ticks
In order to be able to distinguish an argas tick from the rest and to apply the most suitable treatment in a timely manner, it will not be superfluous to know what the remaining representatives of ticks are, the most common among which are:
- Argas mites - they prefer to live in enclosed spaces, the role of which is played by various cracks, holes, caves, as well as living quarters.
- Gamasid mites are small, eyeless mites, the size of which does not exceed 5 mm. Most often parasitize on birds and small mammals, through which many different viral pathogens are transmitted to humans.
- Tyroglyphs - most often found at home. The main places that are suitable for them to reproduce are various food stocks, in particular various cereals and flour. The main problem that occurs in a person eating food infected with these ticks is intestinal necrosis. In addition, coming into direct contact with human skin, these mites leave on it in most cases a rash and irritation. Some individuals can even take root on the body of a person or pets, causing constant discomfort.
Life periods
A settlement tick, the life cycle of which in most cases is short, ranging from several months to several years, is a real threat, because under favorable conditions, life expectancy increases to 20-25 years.
Fully formed into an adult, a settlement tick changes a lumpy skin, however, spikes on it are completely absent. Limbs 8, while the genital opening is located between the first and second pair of legs, on the lower part of the body. Moreover, in females it is a gap, while in males the hole is covered with a special shield.
Bite
The tick on the human or animal body is a temporary ectoparasite. At the site of the direct bite, the formation of a small dark red nodule with a pronounced border of a pale color is usually observed. If timely measures to eliminate the tick are not taken, the nodule subsequently grows and transforms into a hemorrhagic papule with characteristic hemorrhage, the diameter of which usually does not exceed 8 mm.
The tick of the village, making a bite, irritates the body tissues, as a result of which severe itching is observed at the site of the bite, which is the main incentive for quickly seeking medical help in most patients.
This happens because the tick often bites a person in places where a person cannot see him and, as a result, take timely measures to eliminate it.
Precautionary measures
Since the village tick is the causative agent of most serious diseases, it is important to take not only timely measures to treat a bite, but also to carry out prophylaxis, which is extremely necessary in the warm season. Going into nature, you should make sure that most of the body parts are covered with clothes, such protective measures will not be superfluous when examining caves, both for tourism and for research purposes.
It must be remembered that even with timely measures, a person is not safe from the dangerous consequences of a bite, which in rare cases can even lead to serious diseases of the brain or spinal cord that affect neurological or mental abnormalities.
In the event that you plan to spend some time in an earthen house, for example, going on vacation, treat the room before direct occupation with acaricides, which will not only help to quickly destroy existing ticks, but also prevent the appearance of new ones.
Treatment
If you find a bite on your body, you must immediately begin to disinfect the affected area, treating it with hydrogen peroxide or brilliant green in order to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction. Remember that combing a bite is strongly discouraged, because in the future it can even lead to ulcers and secondary foci of infection.
After consulting a doctor, it will be best to reduce its effect with an antihistamine. In this case, the healing time of the bite itself takes no more than 2-3 weeks. In any case, do not self-medicate, it is best to consult a doctor in a timely manner, who can identify and eliminate the possible consequences in a timely manner.