Cattle Ticks and Mites

Question 1

What is the main tick that affects cattle in UK/europe?

Answer 1

Ixodes ricinius

Question 2

What disease is ixodes ricinus a vector of?

Answer 2

Bovine babesiosis- 
Babesia divergens (red water)

Question 3

What is the normal habitat of ixodes ricinus?

Answer 3

Wet humid areas, need 7-10 degrees and high humidity

Question 4

How many hosts are involved in the ixodes ricinus life cycle?

Answer 4

3 Host cycle- larva, nymph, adult

Question 5

How can ixodes ricinus be identified?

Answer 5

Long hypostome with long palps

Groove infant of anus

Question 6

What is the pathogenesis of red water?

Answer 6

Feeding tick- parasite develops in salivary glands
Progressive haemolytic anaemia, results in haemoglobinaemia and haemoglobinuria (red water)
Affected animals have high fever, listlessness, dehydration and diarrhoea

Question 7

What are some tropical ticks?

Answer 7

Rhipicephalus micropul- South America, Australia

Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and Amblyomma veriegatum- south of Sahara

Question 8

Which tick transmits bovine babesiosis in warm countries?

Answer 8

Rhipicephalus spp

One host tick

Question 9

Why does outbreaks of red water often not occur?

Answer 9

In endemic areas prevalence in cattle and transmission rates are high, most animals exposed when they are young, outbreaks occur if endemic stability is disturbed (changes in stock)

Question 10

What is the name of the brown ear tick and what disease does it carry?

Answer 10

Rhipicephalus appendiculatus

East coast fever (theileria larva)

Question 11

Describe the pathogenesis of East coast fever?

Answer 11

Fever occurs 7-10 days after parties introduced
Lymph node swelling
Anorexia develops
Death 18-24 days

Question 12

What species of tick causes heart water?

Answer 12

Amblyomma spp- colourful

Question 13

What is unusual about heart water?

Answer 13

In acute cases animals may drop dead within a few hours of developing a fever, sometimes without clinical signs

Question 14

How are cattle ticks controlled?

Answer 14

OPs, Pyrethroids, Amitraz
Prophylactic measures against babesiosis usually taken
Usually requires regular dipping

Question 15

What are the two types of mange mites of cattle?

Answer 15

Chorioptes mites

Psoroptes mites- host adapted

Question 16

Describe the morphology of chorioptes bovis?

Answer 16

Round head, short unjointed pedicels, ends in cup

Question 17

Where does choripotes bovis affect cattle and what are the signs?

Answer 17

Affects the neck, head, udder and base of tail
Causes hair loss, prutritis and scaling
Usually mild

Question 18

How is chorioptes bovis treated?

Answer 18

Ivermectin

Question 19

How can psoropted mites be identified differently to chorioptes?

Answer 19

Psoroptes have trumpet shape pedicels

Chorioptes- cup shaped

Question 20

Where is psoroptes common and in what species of cattle?

Answer 20

Cattle in Europe

High prevalence in Belgian blue

Question 21

What does psoroptes cause and how is it treated?

Answer 21

Causes- severe irritation, scratching, skin damage, weight loss
Infection causes serous exudate
Treatment- difficult, failure or ivermectin and moxidectin, resistance to MLs, permethrin successful sometimes