Ticks are perhaps the most common parasites of the arachnid order. Both people and animals can suffer from them. The main danger that the tick is fraught with is encephalitis infection (inflammation of the brain). In addition, an insect bite can cause spirochetosis, paralysis, rickettsiosis, viral fever, typhus, typhoid fever, and other diseases. There are also non-parasitic types of ticks that cause skin irritation. Some of them, feeding on plant debris, participate in the formation of humus, and some individuals are exclusively pests of crops.
Types of ticks.
Ixodic - are large in size, can reach 2.5 cm in length. Female ticks of this species parasitize on cattle, laying up to 17 thousand eggs. This type of parasite lives on trees and bushes. Attached to the skin of a person, they can suck blood for several days or even weeks. The body of the tick is covered with chitinous shields. Among representatives of this group, carriers of borreliosis and encephalitis are found. These tick species live mainly in the temperate zone of the entire Eurasian continent.
Argasovye - found in the crevices of houses, nests. They attack mainly at night. After a tick bite , itching often occurs in the affected area. The parasite has soft skin, and its head is located on the inside of the body, so it is practically invisible.
Carapace (Oribatidae) - a group of ticks that live on the soil. Their victims are animals that swallow parasites along with plants. Carapace mites are intermediate hosts for helminths. Once in the body of a sheep or other herbivore, they are engaged in the laying down of tape worm larvae.
There are also parasites living in plant debris and agricultural storage. They are called bread mites (Acaridae) . Getting into in the granary, insects cause spoilage of cereals, grains and flour. Among them, a pot-bellied tick stands out, the victim of which is often a person. It may cause an allergic reaction or skin irritation. People who work with crops are most susceptible to ticks.
Rubella ( Trombiculida t ) - striking and destroying the integrity of the skin of birds, reptiles and mammals, they cause severe inflammation. Some species of mites t rombiculida t can also be transmitted to humans from insectivorous animals and rodents.
What ticks look like .
Typically, the length of the body, divided into two parts (head and chest), is from 0.2 to 0.4 mm. The parasite has six pairs of appendages, at the ends of which there are claws and suckers. The front claw-shaped paws of the tick are called chelicera, they serve as piercing-cutting oral structures. The remaining pairs of limbs are grasping devices. The insect has four eyes. The body, depending on the type, can be with hard shields or soft.
Ticks in dogs.
Quite often, these dangerous insects cause infectious diseases in pets. A dog tick causes the disease babesiosis. Microorganisms of pyroplasm along with the saliva of an infected animal enter the bloodstream and destroy red blood cells. Symptoms of the disease usually appear on day 4. The animal becomes lethargic, refuses to eat, it has a high temperature and dark urine.
Another disease that occurs from a tick bite that pets are susceptible to is borreliosis. This ailment is often asymptomatic. However, some dogs may experience lameness, lethargy, fever, rash, and skin erosion.
If you find any symptoms of the above diseases, you should immediately contact your veterinarian.