Fleas & Ticks

Question 1

What are fleas?!

Answer 1

Wingless, biting BLOOD-SUCKING insects. Yuck!

Question 1

Ctenocephalides:
1. What are they?
2. Where are they most common?
3. Life stages relationship with the cold:

Answer 1

1. Fleas!
   - Infects dogs and cats (plus other mammalians & avian).
2. Most common in North America.
3. All life stages susceptible to the cold (10-5 days between 37.4F to 33.8F).
   Cannot survive freezing temps but may find shelter in homes, nests, or burrows.

Question 2

Fleas: Disease it causes and clinic signs

Answer 2

Clinic signs:
- Annoyance
- Pruritus
- Hair loss
- Skin irritation

Flea association:
- Result in self trauma by scratching & biting to relieve itchiness.

Question 3

Flea transmission (3)

Answer 3

1. Fleas are ectoparasites, so they move from the environment onto the pet.
2. Adult fleas will move onto host by stimuli of heat, vibration, exhaled CO2, etc. Or direct from host to host.
3. Cooler climates, fleas can remain dormant for several months.

Question 4

Flea Lifecycle (7)

Answer 4

1. Adults feed on host blood
2. Females lay eggs
3. Eggs drop off of host
4. Eggs hatch into larvae environment
5. Larvae feed on organic debris
6. Larvae spin cocoons
7. Larvae molt into pupae in cocoons
   Then the cycle repeats

Question 5

Fleas: Public health concerns
Cat Scratch Disease (3)

Answer 5

1. Bacterial disease by “Bartonella henselae.”
2. May develop in ppl bitten or scratched by infected cat.
3. Cannot be transferred between cats.

Question 6

What are ticks? (2)

Answer 6

1. Eight legged arachnids that feed on blood.
2. Only 2 mm in length but after engorging in blood they can expand by 100 x their body size.

Question 7

Hard ticks (Ixodids):
Dermacentor andersoni (Rocky Mt wood tick)

Answer 7

• Commonly found in grassy meadows, young forests, & along roadways/trails.
• This includes your lawn!

Question 8

Soft ticks (Argarids):
Otobius megnini (Spinose ear tick)

Answer 8

Not as common in North America

Question 9

Ticks: Rocky Mt wood tick Life stages (3)

Answer 9

1. Larvae:
   Prefer mice, voles, & other small mammals
2. Nymphs:
   Prefer small rodents. Will feed on dogs, cats, opossums, rabbits, & raccoons though.
3. Adults:
   Prefer to feed on large animals. Such as: cattle, horses, sheep, deer & humans. Will also feed on dogs, bears, & coyotes.

Question 10

Ticks: Western black legged tick Life Stages (3)

Answer 10

1. Larvae:
   Generally with the white-footed mouse but will feed on other rodents, small mammals, birds, & lizards.
2. Nymphs:
   White footed mouse. Also feeds on cats, humans, birds, chipmunks…
3. Adults:
   White-tailed deer. Also feeds on large mammals like horses, dogs, humans, cattle, bobcats…

Question 11

Ticks: Rhipcephalus sanguineus Life stages

Answer 11

Brown dog tick or kennel tick

All life stages: Prefer dogs but will feed on other mammals (humans, rodents, & rabbits)

Question 12

Tick associated diseases (3)

Answer 12

1. Anemia: All stages feed on blood & lymph.
2. Irritation & pruritus: May occur at the site of tick attachment.
3. Tick paralysis: Acute, ascending flaccid, motor paralysis caused by a neurotoxin produced by female ticks.

Question 13

Ticks: Tularemia disease in cats

Answer 13

Feline
- Uncommon illness caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis.
- Transmitted by tick D. variabilis (American dog tick) and by blood-feeding flies.

Question 14

Ticks: Babesiosis disease (2) in dogs

Answer 14

Dogs
- Caused by protozoan parasites Babesia canis and B. gibsoni.
- B. canis primarilt cycles between domestic dogs & R. sanguineus. BUT D. variabilis (Am dog tick) is a vector.

Question 15

Ticks: Ehrlichiosis disease in dogs

Answer 15

Dog
- Infectious disease that is particularly severe in German Shepherds & Doberman Pinschers.

Question 16

Ticks: Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) disease (2) in dogs

Answer 16

Dogs
1. A rickesttsial disease caused by Ricksttsia rickettsi.
2. Transmitted by Dermacentor variabilis (Am dog tick) in Eastern USA & D. andersoni (rocky mt wood tick) in the west.

Question 17

Tick paralysis
Cats & dogs:
Signs/symptoms

Answer 17

Signs/symptoms:
- Weakness and/or loss of coordination in hind legs progressing to front legs.
- Coughing or vomiting
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of appetite
- Change in bark

Question 18

Lyme disease
Dogs & cats:
1. Cause
2. Transmission
3. Clinical signs

Answer 18

1. Caused by bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi.
2. Transmitted by bite of a tick from the family Ixode: (Ixodes scapularis (black leg tick) or I. pacificus (western black leg tick) depending on location.
3. Symptoms:
   - The infection won’t show in a 24-36hr time span.
   - Signs include: lethargy, loss appetite, joint pain, & fever.

Question 19

What is an “ambush strategy”?
Hint: Ticks do this

Answer 19

• Ticks climb onto weeds, grasses, bushes, or other leafy vegetation.
• In the presences of a host, forelegs are extended (these contain sensory apparatus “Haller’s organ”).
• Once host brushes against plant, the tick releases vegetation and crawls onto the host.

Question 20

Control & prevention of ticks

Answer 20

• Year round tick-control products
• Education

Question 21

Tularemia is a tick borne infection caused by ____ which is found in animals, especially ____ & ____.

Answer 21

1. bacterium Francisella tularensis
2. Rodents and RABBITS

Question 22

Tularemia is a tick borne disease that is zoonotic. It can also be transmitted to humans besides a tick bite.
List them (5)

Answer 22

1. Bite from infected blood feeding arthropod (deer, flies, mosq, fleas)
2. Improperly cooked wild game
3. Careless handling of wild game
4. Aerosols
5. Direct contact with infected animal