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
