FLEAS Flashcards
Define an ectoparasite
-spends some or all of their lives parasitizing and usually live on or burrow into the skin
Which subclass do ticks and mites come from?
Acari
Which subclass do lice come from?
Hemimetabola (class= insect)
fleas/ flies also from insect class
What is the name for the cat flea?
Ctencephalides felis
Which parasite group comes under Siphonaptera?
Fleas
Which parasite group comes under diptera?
Flies
Which parasite group comes under phthiaptera?
Lice
Describe the exoskeleton of a flea
- Made of chitin
- Serves as protection
- Muscle attaches to it
- Limits total size
How do fleas respire?
Through pores in the cuticle called spiracles
What are the two different lifecycles of ectoparasites?
- Hemimetabola= partial metamorphism (lice)
- Holometabola= full metabolism (fleas and flies)
List the common flea species in the UK
- C.felis
- C. canis
- Ceratophylus gallinae (hen flea)
- Spilopsyllus cuniculi (rabbit flea)
- Archaeopsylla erinacei (hedgehog flea)
Adult male and female fleas are ____?____ flea suckers
Obligate
What Is important about flea saliva?
-Contains substances that act as allergens and can cause a severe allergic response- FAD (flea allergy dermatitis)
Discuss FAD
- Flea allergy dermatitis
- More likely to occur multipet households
- Animals which are intermittently exposed to fleas have a greater response to those who are constantly exposed.
What are the indirect effect of fleas?
- Can acts as VECTORS/ HOSTS for pathogens
- Myxomatosis
- Bartonella henselae (cat scratch disease)
- Feline infectious anaemia (Mycoplasma haemofelis)
- Yersinia pestis (plague)
- Rickettsia felis (typhus)
Describe the lifecycle of Diplydium caninum
- Tapeworm eggs eaten by flea larvae
- Eggs hatch/ develop inside flea body
- Tapeworm larvae develop into infectious cysticercoid
- Adult flea ingested by its host and the tapeworm cysticeroids enter digestive system and develop into tapeworms
Describe flea control
- Adulticides
- Environmental chemicals
- Mechanical removal
Describe adulticides
- Organophosphates
- Pyrethoids
- Carbamates
- Fipronil
What do organophosphates do?
- Use Anti-acetylchoinesterases which cause an overstimulation of nicotinic synapses
- Bind irreversibly to the receptors
- Kill and repels adult fleas
Describe the action of pyrethrins
- Act on the Na channels in nerves causing depolarisation
- Kills/ repels fleas
Describe the action of fipronil
- Interferes with GABA causing disinhibition of neurotransmission
- Kills BUT does not repel fleas
Describe the action of neonicotinoids
- Stimulates nicotinic receptors
- Kills BUT doesn’t repel fleas
Describe IGR
- Insect growth regulator
- Lufenuron inhibits flea developlemt. It is stored in the fat tissue and released into the blood. inhibits chitin synthesis
- Methoprene promotes larvl/ pupal growth BUT stops moulting to an adult
