Small Animal Ectoparasites Flashcards
Ctenocephalides felis or canis
Feline/Caine flea
Xenopsylla cheopis
Oriental Rat flea, known for the plague
Yersinia pestis
Plague, spread by the rat flea
Flea: Reproduction
- Reproduction: Females lay about 50 eggs per day, some may fall off into environment
- Need blood meal to reproduce
- Can survive in environment up to 1 year without blood meal
Rickettsia rickettsii
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF)
What are the 4 types of ticks? What do they transmit?
- Ixodes: deer tick
- Transmits Lyme dz (Borrelia Burgdorferi), and RMSF - Dermacentor: American dog tick
- primary vector to transmit Rocky mountain spotted fever - Rhipicephalus: brown dog tick
- Transmits Ehrlichia spp. + RMSF - Otobius megnini: Ear tick. Most common in live stock but can infest dogs and other warm-blooded mammals
- Body covered in spines, sucks blood from inside the ears
Flea: Anatomy
- Wingless insects
- Tube-like mouth parts
- Jump
- Most common in regions that are humid and warm
Flea: Host effects + prevention
Effects: anemia (especially infested puppies/ kittens)
Prevention: Monthly or quarterly oral/topical options available
What are fleas vectors for?
Tapeworms (Dipylidium caninum)
Tick: Anatomy
- 8 legs
- Feed on blood
- Mouth parts are called Capitulum
How should ticks be removed?
- With forceps or tweezers
- Grasped by mouthparts at the site of attachments and pulled back slowly
- Prevent mouthparts breaking off in host’s skin, which could lead to irriation/infection
Define: Tularemia
How is it transmitted? (Vectors)
Causative agent?
Definition: Rabbit fever
Vectors:
1. Ticks most common
2. Mosquitoes
3. Horseflies
Causative agent: Francisella Tularensis
What are the 4 types of mites?
- Demodex
- Scabies
- Cheyletiella
- Ear Mites
Demodex:
- Scientific name
- Anatomy
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Host/Effect
- Scientific name: Demodex canis (canine mite)
- Anatomy: Cigar-shaped mite. Located on hair follicle
- Diagnosis: Deep scraping is necessary (draw a little blood), and the follicles are squeezed during scraping
- Treatment: Most commonly with oral ivermectin or Lyme Sulfur dip
- Host: Dogs, cats, horses. Seen mostly in young animals or animals that are immunocompromised
- Signs: Not contagious, not typically pruritic unless secondary pyoderma is present
Scabies:
- Scientific name
- Anatomy
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Host
- Signs
- Transmission
- Scientific name: Sarcoptes scabiei (K9 mite) + Notoedres cati (Feline mite)
- Anatomy:
- Diagnosis: Superficial dweller and may be hard to find; multiple scrapes may be necessary
- Treatment: selamectin (Revolution), Lime Sulfur dips, milbemycin, ivermectin
- Host: Dog, Cat, livestock, wild animals
- Signs: Very pruritic
- Transmission: Can be zoonotic, but infection is transient and self-limiting in people
Cheyletiella:
- Common name
- Signs
- Location
- Hosts
- Common name: Walking dandruff
- Signs: Very pruritic
- Location: Superficial mite
- Hosts: Dog, cat, rabbit
Ear Mites:
- Scientific name
- Anatomy
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Host
- Signs
- Scientific name: Otodectes cynotis
- Anatomy
- Diagnosis: Observed microscopically on a mineral oil swab. Debris in ears often looks like dark coffee grounds
- Treatment: Treated most often with topical ivermectin (0.01%) (Acarexx)
- Host: Dog, cat, rabbit, ferret
- Signs: Very pruritic
Define: Pediculosis
Infestation of lice
Lice:
- Signs
- Transmission
- Anatomy
- Treatment
- Signs: Pruritic, species or host-specific, 6-legged, wingless
- Transmission: Direct contact
- Anatomy: Biting or sucking louse, may be seen with the naked eye
- Treatment: fipronil or selamectin
Define: Felicola subrostratus
Feline biting (chewing) louse
Define: Trichodectes canis
Feline biting (chewing) louse
Define: Linognathus setosus
Feline sucking louse
Define: Haematopinus
Cattle sucking louse
What is the common name of Microsporum canis
Ringworm
What is the common name of Malassezia
Yeast
What is the common name of Otodectes
Ear mites
What is the causative agent for otoacariasis?
Psoroptes cuniculi
What are two other names for otoacariasis?
Ear mange and ear canker
What species does Psoroptes cuniculi effect?
Rabbits
