parasitology lecture 2

What are the two main families of ticks?

Hard ticks (Ixodidae) and soft ticks (Argasidae).

How many legs do adult and nymph ticks have?

4 pairs (8 legs).

How many legs do tick larvae have?

3 pairs (6 legs).

What do ticks use to attach to their host?

Mouthparts with cement secretions for anchoring.

How many hosts are usually involved in a tick’s life cycle?

3

What is the scientific name of the paralysis tick?

Ixodes holocyclus.

Name complications of Ixodes holocyclus bites.

Queensland tick typhus, Rickettsia parkeri infection, mammalian meat allergy, angioneurotic oedema, ascending paralysis.

What are the three lice species that infest humans?

Pediculus capitis (head louse), Pediculus humanus (body louse), Pthirus pubis (pubic louse).

Where do clothes lice lay their eggs?

In clothes, not on body hair.

What diseases can clothes lice transmit?

A. Bartonella quintana → trench fever
B. Borrelia recurrentis → recurrent fever
C. Rickettsia prowazekii → louse-borne epidemic typhus

Where do lice spend their entire life cycle?

Entirely on the host.

What disease do fleas transmit?

Plague (black death) caused by Yersinia pestis.