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Morphological Characteristics of Ectoparasites

Tick

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Parasitology and Immunology

I. Objectives
To be able to characterize the morphological characteristics of ectoparasites
II. Materials
Dissecting Set Cover Slip
Microscope Alcohol
Magnifying Glass Iodine
Glass Slide

III. Morphological Structure

From left to right. a) whole body; b) mouth part; c) leg

Adult ticks have eight legs, each of which is covered in short, spiny hairs and has a tiny claw at
the end.
Ticks' mouths have three parts:
 Two palps
 Two chelicerae
 One hypostome
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IV. Functions
The spines and claws of ticks have two main purposes. They help ticks grasp blades of grass,
leaves, branches and other vegetation. They also allow ticks to grasp their hosts.
Ticks use their mouthparts to pierce their hosts' skin and extract blood. The two chelicerae are used
to cut through the skin of its host. The two palps simply move out of the way when the tick is
feeding. The hypostome is used to hold itself in the host while it has a nice meal.
The barbs on the hypostome are like the barbs on a fishhook. They point back toward the tick,
making it difficult to remove the tick without damaging the skin. Some ticks secrete a cementlike
substance with their saliva, which dissolves when the tick is ready to drop off of its host. This
substance can make it even harder to remove the feeding tick. The saliva also keeps the host's
blood from clotting while the tick eats. But unlike a flea's saliva, it doesn't usually include
compounds that cause itching and swelling.
As a tick eats, its body, or idiosoma, expands, although the amount of expansion varies. The
scutum of a male hard tick covers much of its back, so its body can't stretch to hold a lot of blood.
Soft ticks don't have scutums to get in the way of feeding, but they don't require an immense store
of blood to lay eggs, so they don't swell as much as hard ticks do. Female hard ticks swell
immensely as they store the blood they need to lay their eggs.
V. Life Cycle
Ticks mature in four stages, moving from egg to larva and nymph to adult. When an egg first
hatches as a larva, it requires a blood meal to mature. However, some species of larvae can live
for months without maturing or finding a blood meal. All larvae are born with six legs.
After a larva finds a blood host, it feeds for about three days before dropping back to the ground.
On the ground again, the larva will mature and eventually shed the outer layer of its skin (called
molting) to become a nymph. Some species may require many molts and multiple hosts in order
to mature.
After a larva feeds and molts, the next step of the tick life cycle begins. This is called the nymph
stage. A nymph looks like a miniature tick and has eight legs instead of six. Again, a nymph must
find a blood host and feed before it can mature. The length of time a nymph feeds can vary. After
feeding, some nymphs become dormant for the season, some will drop back to the ground to make
a final molt and others will complete the life cycle using the same host.
After the final molt, a nymph emerges as a mature adult and requires another blood meal before it
can reproduce. Both male and female ticks typically take blood meals before mating, although
females often become more engorged from the feeding than males do. This is the final stage of the
tick life cycle.
VI. Transmission
Ticks transmit pathogens that cause disease through the process of feeding.
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 Depending on the tick species and its stage of life, preparing to feed can take from 10 minutes
to 2 hours. When the tick finds a feeding spot, it grasps the skin and cuts into the surface.
 The tick then inserts its feeding tube. Many species also secrete a cement-like substance that
keeps them firmly attached during the meal. The feeding tube can have barbs that help keep
the tick in place.
 Ticks also can secrete small amounts of saliva with anesthetic properties so that the animal or
person can't feel that the tick has attached itself. If the tick is in a sheltered spot, it can go
unnoticed.
 A tick will suck the blood slowly for several days. If the host animal has a bloodborne infection,
the tick will ingest the pathogens with the blood.
 Small amounts of saliva from the tick may also enter the skin of the host animal during the
feeding process. If the tick contains a pathogen, the organism may be transmitted to the host
animal in this way.
 After feeding, most ticks will drop off and prepare for the next life stage. At its next feeding,
it can then transmit an acquired disease to the new host.

VII. Prevention
Use tick repellent
 Choose an EPA-registered product so you know it is safe and effective against tick bites.
 Products containing permethrin, which are used on clothing and gear, are especially
recommended for people who spend a lot of time in wooded areas.
 Do not use permethrin on your skin.
 Standard DEET-based products are another option.
 Use a product containing no more than 30 percent DEET for adults.
 Concentrations up to 30 percent DEET are also safe for children (according to reports from
the American Academy of Pediatrics). Do not use DEET for infants under two months of
age.

VIII. Generalization
Ticks are ectoparasites which may transmit pathogens that cause disease. They do this through the
process of feeding. They grasp the skin and cuts into the surface then inserts its feeding tube. The
feeding tube can have barbs that anchor them. They even secrete a cement-like substance to keep
them firmly attached. They also secrete small amounts of saliva with anesthetic properties. If the
tick contains a pathogen, it may be transmitted to the host animal in this way. Such may be
prevented using tick repellent products.
IX. References
Retrieved from https://animals.howstuffworks.com/arachnids/tick1.htm
Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-anatomy-of-a-tick.html
Retrieved from https://www.cdc.go/ticks/life_cycle_and_hosts.html
Retrieved from https://www.terminix.com/pest-control/ticks/life-cycle/