Tick infestation on wild snakes in northern part of western Ghats of India.

In total, 167 individuals of 30 species of snakes belonging to 22 genera and five families were examined for tick infestation from November 2008 to March 2010. Only two species of snakes, Ptyas mucosa (L., 1758) (Indian rat snake) and Naja naja (L., 1758) (spectacled cobra), were found infested by ticks. All ticks collected were identified to be Amblyomma gervaisi [previously Aponomma gervaisi (Lucas, 1847) 1. The average prevalence of these ticks on Indian rat snakes (n=48) was 29.16%, with abundance of 7.02 ticks per individual; on spectacled cobras (n=20), average prevalence was 30.00%, with abundance of 6.9 ticks per individual. The nymphs and males were predominant. All the ticks were found on the dorsal aspect of the body of the snake, and no ticks were recorded on the head, tail, or ventral body. The rate of tick infestation was highest in scrubland and was lowest in evergreen forests. Female Indian rat snakes showed higher tick infestation rates than male Indian rat snakes. Using Mann-Whitney U test, we found that longer snakes of both species had significantly higher rate of tick infestation in both the species of snakes.

Metabolic differentiation of early Lyme disease from southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI).

Lyme disease, the most commonly reported vector-borne disease in the United States, results from infection with Borrelia burgdorferi. Early clinical diagnosis of this disease is largely based on the presence of an erythematous skin lesion for individuals in high-risk regions. This, however, can be confused with other illnesses including southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI), an illness that lacks a defined etiological agent or laboratory diagnostic test, and is coprevalent with Lyme disease in portions of the eastern United States. By applying an unbiased metabolomics approach with sera retrospectively obtained from well-characterized patients, we defined biochemical and diagnostic differences between early Lyme disease and STARI. Specifically, a metabolic biosignature consisting of 261 molecular features (MFs) revealed that altered N-acyl ethanolamine and primary fatty acid amide metabolism discriminated early Lyme disease from STARI. Development of classification models with the 261-MF biosignature and testing against validation samples differentiated early Lyme disease from STARI with an accuracy of 85 to 98%. These findings revealed metabolic dissimilarity between early Lyme disease and STARI, and provide a powerful and new approach to inform patient management by objectively distinguishing early Lyme disease from an illness with nearly identical symptoms.

Ticks associated with wild animals in the Nhecolândia Pantanal, Brazil.

A study of ticks associated with wild animals was carried out from September 1996 to April 1998 at the Fazenda Alegria (21,000 ha), in the Nhecolândia Pantanal, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, a sunken plain bordering the upper Paraguay river, located 19 x 08'S; 56 x 46'W. A total of 81 wild animals (13 species, 6 orders) were captured with the aid of nets, and ticks were found on 63 (78%). Tick species identified included Boophilus microplus (Canestrini), Amblyomma cajennense (F.), A. parvum (Aragão), A pseudoconcolor (Aragão), A. scalpturatum (Neumann), A. nodosum (Neumann), A. ovale (Koch), and A. tigrinum (Koch). Dragging from grasslands (campos) yielded negative results compared to the high concentration of ticks, mainly nymphs, that were collected from leaves in the forests (capão). Predominance of immature instars (Amblyomma genera) was observed in the end of winter (August-September). Ticks were associated mainly with coatis, deer (Mazama gouazoubira) and anteater, and these animals may play a role in the epidemiology of tick-transmitted pathogens in the Pantanal if one considers their co-existence with local domestic animals.

Adult ixodid ticks on two cattle breeds in the south-western Free State, and their seasonal dynamics.

A study was conducted to compare the species of adult ixodid ticks on Friesian and Bonsmara cattle and their seasonal dynamics. Between five and ten animals of each breed were kept on natural False Upper Karoo vegetation, typical of the south-western Free State. Between May 1990 and October 1991, the animals were examined once or twice a month for the presence of adult ticks which were removed, counted and identified. Six species of ixodid ticks were recorded. The species composition on the two cattle breeds was remarkably similar. Ixodes rubicundus was dominant (55-57.7% of all ticks collected), followed by Hyalomma marginatum rufipes (28.9-31.5%) and Rhipicephalus punctatus *6.2-6.7%). Only small numbers of Hyalomma truncatum, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi and Rhipicephalus gertrudae were recorded. Almost twice as many ticks were collected from Friesian as from Bonsmara cattle. Ixodes rubicundus showed a typical winter-activity period. The other species were either active mostly during the warmer months, or their numbers were to low to determine any seasonal pattern. Apart from information on the diversity of ticks which infest cattle in the region, the study has also shown a greater resistance by Bonsmara cattle (a mixed Bos taurus/Bos indicus breed) to tick infestation. Bos indicus cattle can play an increasingly important role in integrated tick-management practices in southern Africa.

Infestaciones por garrapatas: a propósito de un caso / Tick infestation: report of a case

Las garrapatas son parásitos hematófagos que afectan la piel de muchos animales vertebrados, transmitiéndose al ser humano por contacto directo con animales infestados. La infestación por garrapata se manifiesta como una mácula, pápula o placa eritematosa y pruriginosa, que aparece 1 a 3 días después de la exposición con el parásito. Además, puede estar asociada con infección local secundaria en el sitio de la mordedura, granuloma a cuerpo extraño, parálisis ascendente e incluso anafilaxia. Estos parásitos también pueden transmitir agentes patógenos capaces de producir enfermedades en el ser humano como bacterias, virus y protozoos. La garrapata debe ser extirpada, teniendo especial precaución de no comprimir demasiado el cuerpo del parásito durante el procedimiento. Reportamos el caso de un hombre de 63 años que presentó una placa eritematosa y pruriginosa en la espalda, cuya imagen dermatoscópica reveló la presencia de una garrapata.

Ticks are blood-sucking, opportunistic parasites that can attach to the skin of a variety of vertebrate hosts. Humans become infested by coming into close contact with infested animals. Tick infestation may present as erythematous pruritic macule, papule, or finely elevated plaque within 1­3 days following tick exposure. Also tick bites may be associated with local, secondary infection at the bite site, foreign body granuloma, ascending paralysis, and even anaphylaxis. In addition, these parasites may transmit a number of different pathogens that cause human diseases including bacteria, viruses, and protozoan. Ticks may be removed, although the body of the tick should not be squeezed during the removal process. We report a 63-year old man who presented with an itchy erythematous plaque on the back, which, upon closer inspection, revealed a partially embedded tick.

The genus Hyalomma. VI. Systematics of H. (Euhyalomma) truncatum and the closely related species, H. (E.) albiparmatum and H. (E.) nitidum (Acari: Ixodidae).

The geographic distribution of three closely related Hyalomma species, namely Hyalomma (Euhyalomma) truncatum Koch, 1844, Hyalomma (Euhyalomma) albiparmatum Schulze, 1919 and Hyalomma (Euhyalomma) nitidum Schulze, 1919 is confined to Africa. A detailed comparison of all stages of development of the three taxa reveals that they possess many more shared than distinguishing characters. In fact differentiation between these species is based on single or dual qualitative characters on their adults. These are a conspicuous, ivory-coloured parma on H. (E.) albiparmatum males, and the absence or reduction in clarity of ivory-coloured bands on the leg segments of H. (E.) nitidum adults, as well as the shape of the external cuticular preatrial fold of the genital operculum of females of the latter species. The adults of all three species and the larva of H. (E.) truncatum are redescribed. The nymph of H. truncatum and the larva and nymph of H. (E.) albiparmatum and H. (E.) nitidum are described for the first time. Data on their geographic distributions and hosts are provided.