Professional Documents
Culture Documents
and
mites
By
Mramba
Nyindo
and
Jovin
Kitau
at
Kilimanjaro
Chris<an
Medical
University
College
Moshi
Tanzania
Ticks
and
mites
are
ectoparasites
Ticks
transmit
Lyme
disease.
Lyme
disease
occurs
in
Europe,
Asia
and
USA.
Mites
cause
scabies,
an
important
disease
in
sub-‐Saharan
Africa.
What
are
<cks?
What
are
mites?
• Acarology
is
the
Science
that
is
concerned
with
<cks
and
mites
• The
term
acaricides
(chemicals
which
kill
<cks)
is
derived
from
acarology
• Ticks
are
not
insects
• Ticks
are
typical
arachnids
Ticks
belong
to
2
families:
Hard
<cks
and
soQ
<cks
Ticks
are
related
to
scorpions,
spiders
and
mites
Main
features
of
<cks
• Adult
Ticks
are
8-‐legged
• Body
is
unsegmented
• Anterior
part
has
a
structure
termed
gnathosome
or
capitulum
Scutum
is
the
hard
chi<nous
covering
on
the
dorsal
side
of
the
<ck.
In
the
female
hard
<ck
scutum
covers
only
about
one
third
of
the
dorsal
area.
Ticks
feed
on
blood.
A
<ck
lacerates
host
skin
epidermis,
secretes
saliva
and
inserts
its
mouth
parts
at
the
site
it
has
lacerated,
and
spits
saliva.
Tick
saliva
is
cytoly<c
and
an<coagulant
The
an<coagulant
provides
uninterrupted
flow
of
blood
for
the
<ck
to
embibe.
Tick
burrows
its
mouth
parts
further
into
the
skin
and
secretes
cement
material
which
anchors
the
<ck
onto
the
host
Engorged
and
unfed
Ixodes
ricinus
Tick
bites
can
cause
paralysis.
Tick
paralysis
due
to
a
neuro-‐
toxin
leads
to
weakness
of
lower
limbs,
incoordina<on,
falling
down,
muscle
weakness,
dysphagia
and
respiratory
failure
Ixodes
<cks
transmit
Lyme
Disease
Lyme
disease
is
caused
by
Borrelia
burgdorferi
.
B.
Burgdorferi
is
transmiWed
to
humans
by
the
hard
ixodid
<cks.
LD
takes
different
disease
manifesta<ons.
SoQ
<cks
transmit
borreliosis
Borrelia
are
Gram-‐nega<ve
irregularly
coiled
helical
spirochetes
Borrelia
du/oni
causes
endemic
relapsing
fever
and
is
transmiWed
by
the
soQ
<ck
Ornithodorus
moubata.
Note
that
lice
transmit
Borrelia
recurren7ce
Ornithodorus
moubata
is
a
soQ
<ck
that
transmits
Relapsing
fever
Borrelia
du/oni
MITES
• Mites
are
not
insects.
They
are
members
of
the
Order
ACARINA
in
CLASS
ARACHNIDA
• Mites
cause
phenomenon
skin
problems
characterised
mainly
by
severe
ITCH
as
the
main
disease
manifesta<on
• Body
of
mite
is
unsegmented
• Tegument:
chi<n,
may
be
sclero<zed
or
may
consist
of
rigid
plates
• Body
has
numerous
hairs
or
setae;
4
pairs
of
legs
similar
to
<cks
SCABIES
• Sarcoptes
scabiei
var.
hominis
(itch
mite,
scabies
mite)
causes
scabies
• Mites
cause
severe
itch
and
widespread
erup<ons.
The
itch
may
be
mild
to
intolerably
severe
par<cularly
at
night.
• There
may
be
no
itch
during
the
day
The
mite
burrow
or
tunnel
Sarcoptes
mite
burrow
is
made
by
the
adult
male
and
female
mite
in
the
horny
layer
of
the
epidermis
and
presents
clinically
as
straight
or
serpen<ne
line,
greyish
and
measures
5-‐10mm
long
or
more
The
burrows
occur
on
buWocks,
penis,
elbows,
knees,
hands
and
nipples
Mite
burrows
cont.
AQer
copula<on
in
the
tunnel
the
female
enlarges
and
starts
to
lay
eggs…40-‐50
eggs
per
female
in
4-‐6
wk.
The
mites
excrete
faeces
and
other
waste
products
and
these
and
other
products
cause
the
itch.
Epidemiology
of
scabies
RISK
FACTORS
• Overcrowding
is
a
risk
factor
• SCHOOLS
• PRISONS
• Poverty,
unhygienic
prac<ces
other
mites
Demodex
folliculorum:
• Very
small
mite
0.1-‐0.4mm
long
• Lives
in
the
hair
follicles
of
humans
• Affects
mainly
eyelids
and
nose.
Chiggers
=
Trombiculid
mite
larvae
• Also
called
harvest
mites
• Cause
skin
irrita<on,
severe
irrita<on…
intense,
severe
pruri<s
aQer
the
larvae
have
fed
for
a
period
of
1-‐4
days
• AQer
feeding
they
drop
off
to
the
ground,
creep
into
the
surface
soil
and
emerge
as
nymphs
1
month
later
as
adults
• Demodex
folliculorum
and
D.
brevis
are
found
close
to
hair
follicles
on
the
head,
nose,
nasal
labial
folds
and
ears.
Larvae
of
these
mites
feed
on
<ssue
fluids.