Ticks and mites are arthropods of medical importance. Ticks are classified as hard or soft ticks. Hard ticks have a dorsal shield called a scutum. Their life cycle takes 2 months to complete from egg to adult. Soft ticks lack a scutum and their life cycle takes 9-10 months. Both can transmit diseases like tick typhus and relapsing fever through their bites. Mites include trombiculid mites which transmit scrub typhus and itch mites (Sarcoptes scabiei) which cause scabies. Scabies presents as itchy red bumps and is spread through direct skin contact. Its treatment involves applying topical medications like benzyl ben

1. Ticks & Mites
Dr.Mittal Rathod,
Community Medicine Dept.,
Shree M.P.Shah GMC, Jamnagar.

2. Learning Objectives
• To enumerate identification features of Ticks
& Mites.
• To understand Public health importance of
Ticks & Mites.
• To know how to control Ticks & Mites.

3. Arthropods of medical importance
Class: Insecta Class: Arachnida Class: Crustacea
Mosquitoes
Anophelines
Culicines
Ticks: Hard tick Soft
tick
Cyclops
Flies Mites (Chiggers)
Housefly Leptotrombidium mite
Sandfly
Tromboculid mite
Tsese fly
Itch mite
Blackfly
Human lice
Head & body lice
Crab lice
Fleas
Rat flea
Sand flea
Reduiid bug

4. Features
Insecta Arachnida Crustacea
Body division Head Thorax
abdomen
Cephalothorax
Abdomen
(No division in
some cases)
Cephalothorax
Abdomen
Legs 3 pairs
4 pairs 5 pairs
Antennae 3 pairs
None 2 pairs
Wings One or two pairs Some
are wingless
None
Where found
On land On land In water

5. Ticks & Mites:
• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Class: Arachnida
• Order: Acarina
• Families:
Ixodidae – hard tick
Argasidae – soft tick
Trombiculidae- Trombiculid Mite
Sarcoptidae – itch mite

6. Ticks
Ectoparasite, dorsoventrally compressed, 4 pairs of legs
No antennae
• Hard Tick
• Head: Capatulum
• chitimous shield or
scutum are present
• Soft Tick
• Head: Capatulum: ventrally,
not visible from above
• Absent in soft tick

8. Hard tick
Capitulum
Eyes
Leg
Scutum
Lateral
groove
Female Male

9. • Life cycle:
1-3 weeks 3 -13 days 1 – 5 weeks
Egg Larva Nymph Adult
• Total life cycle: 2 months for hard tick
9 – 10 months for soft tick

11. Habits
Hard Tick
• Feed: Day & Night, cant
stand starvation.
• Found: on Hosts always
• Common Hard Ticks:
1. Dermacentor
2. Haemophysalis
3. Hyalomma
4. Rhipecephalus
5. Boophilus
Soft Tick
• Feed: Night Time, can with
stand starvation.
• Found: in cracks &
crevices.
• Imp. Soft Tick:
1. Ornithotorus moubata

12. Ticks
Wooded areas
Tall brush/grass
Under plants/leaves to prevent dehydration.
cut/raked lawns or sports fields
Under ground cover (plants) in yard
Around stone walls and woodpiles where mice &
other small mammals live

13. Hard Tick
• Breeding:
Lay eggs 100-1000 all at one
time, female dies.
• Nymphal stage: 1
• Life span:1 year or more
Soft Tick
• Breeding:
Lay eggs 20-100 over long
period.
• Nymphal stage: 5
• Life span: longer than Hard
tick

14. • Disease transmitted:
Hard Tick: Soft Tick:
Tick Typhus Relapsing Fever
Viral Encephalitis Q Fever
H’agic Fever( KFD )
Tularaemia
Tick Paralysis
Human Babesiosis

15. Mode of Transmission
• Biting: Adult, Larva, Nymph.
• Trans-stadial Transmission
• Trans-ovarian Transmission

17. Control measures:
1) Insecticidal control: application of insecticide over
forest areas(‘hot spots’) using aircraft mounted
equipments.
- DDT, chlordane, dieldrin, lindane, malathion,
fenthion or propoxur
2) Personal protective measures: adequate clothing
and repellants (DEET, indolane, BB lotion)
3) Daily examination of body and removal of tick.
4) Environmental control
5) Avoid infected localities and animals.

20. Mites
• Chiggers:
• Body: Not well demarcated into head, thorax
& abdomen.
• 4 pairs of legs.
• 2 Types:1. Trombiculid Mite
2.Itch Mite

21. Trombiculid Mites
• Spider like arthropods
• Speceis:1. Leptotrombidium deliense
2. Leptotrombidium akamushi
Disease: Scrub Typhus in Asia & South Pacific

23. Itch Mite
• Sarcoptes scabiei or Acarus scabei
• Small, globular arthropod, visible to naked
eyes.
• Habitant: Dogs, Cattle, Horse
• Animals- Humans-Humans

24. General Features
• 0.4 mm size
• Tortoise shape body, Rounded above &
flattened below.
• No demarcation into cephalothorax or
abdomen.
• Body- folds, Bristles.
• Male vs. Females
• 4 pair of legs: 2 in front, 2 behind

27. Mode of spread:
1. Close contact :
-Sleeping in same bed,
-children playing with each other.
Familial or house hold infection.
2. Contaminated Clothes & bed linen.
3. Contact with animals.

28. • Scabies is a contagious skin disease marked
by itching and small raised red spots,
caused by the itch mite.

29. Site of Lesions:
Hands and wrist :63%
Extensor aspect of elbow 10.9%
Axilla, buttocks, lower abdomen
Palm in infants are all common
sites of infestation.
29

30. Diagnosis
1. c/o itching-worse at night.
2. On examination: follicular lesions at the
affected site.
3. Secondary infection: crusted papules &
pustules.
4. Family History
5. Microscope: parasite under skin debris.

31. Control of Scabies
• Essential to treat all the members of family
whether or not they appears to be infested.
• Before start of treatment patient is given agood
scrub with soap and hot water.
• Benzyl benzoate 25% - be applied with a paint
brush or shaving brush to every inch of the
body below the chin including the sole of feet
and allowed to dry.

32. • The application repeated after 12 hours, then
after 12 hrs, bath taken and all cloths should
be changed & washed.
• The application should not be repeated for 1
week, ow it causes Irritant dermatitis.

33. • HCH: 0.5 to 1.0% strength of gamma HCH
(lindane) in coconut oil or any vegetable oil.
Lindane is rarely used because of its side
effects.
• Tetmoslol 5% of its solution is effective,
there daily application are recommended.
• Sulphur ointment: 2.5 to 10% daily for 4 days
is a cheap remedy.

34. • Before Rx., wash all wears, towels in hot
water.
• Items that cannot be washed or dry-cleaned
can be decontaminated by removing from
any body contact for at least 72 hours.
• Vacuum the carpets and upholstered
furniture.
• Use calamine lotion and soak in a cool bath to
ease itching.
• Take an oral antihistamine.

35. Drug of choice
• 5% Permethrin- Topical application.
• Ivermectin ( Single dose)- Oral DOC.

36. 77
Trombiculid
Mite
Flea Louse Hard tick

37. Thank You…