Parasites

    Cards (40)

    • What is a parasite?
      organisms that live in, on or with another organism (host). they require a host in order to survive
    • What is a host?

      an animal or plant in which a parasite lives
    • What is an intermediate host?

      a host which is normally used by a parasite over the course of its lifecycle and in which it may multiply asexually
    • What is an ectoparasite?

      a type of parasite that lives on the surface of its host
    • ectoparasites typically feed on the hosts blood, skin or bodily fluids. Their presence can cause discomfort, irritation or more serious health issues such as infections or disease transmission
    • What are some of the different types of ectoparasites?

      fleas, lice, ticks and mites
    • How do fleas survive?

      by sucking the blood of their host, they can suck up to 15 times their body weight in blood
    • Can fleas fly?

      no, but they can jump up to 18cm
    • Fleas can lay between 20 and 50 eggs a day
    • How are fleas transmitted?

      they are more common in the summer, preferring the heat. They use their antennae to detect heat, vibration, carbon dioxide, shadows and changes in air current - all of which signal to a host being near
    • Adult fleas live for several weeks on a pet. If food is available, they can live for 100 days as an adult, else, they last a week
    • Flea eggs fall off of a pet, into the garden, bedding, carpet and wherever else the animal spends its time.
    • Flea eggs take 2 to 5 days to hatch if on a host/suitable conditions
    • Flea eggs hatch into?

      larvae
    • Flea larvae feed on organic matter such as skin flakes and flea faeces
    • Flea larvae grow to form a cocoon and pupate
    • What does pupate mean?

      flea larvae will transform, when the time is right, into an adult
    • Flea pupae can survive a long time, being protected by the cocoon. They can cocoon up to Two weeks , but can stay dormant for up to two years
    • What are the symptoms of fleas?
      Flea dirt, skin irritation, infections, lesions, hair loss, ulcers, anemia, scratching or biting
    • how can you treat flea?

      spot on treatments, oral medications, flea shampoos or combs
    • how can fleas be prevented?

      monthly preventative medications, regular grooming, environmental control
    • Lice are species specific
    • Lice cause Severe itching, and skin problems like inflammation and hair loss
    • Lice cannot survive off of the host , so they won’t ever be found in the pets environment
    • How are lice transmitted?

      direct contact, they cannot jump and can only crawl
    • How do ticks attach to a host?

      they will climb onto a piece of vegetation and wait for a passing human or animal
    • Ticks can transmit Lyme disease to both animals and people
    • How can ticks be prevented ?

      spot on treatments
    • How must a tick be removed?

      using tick removers, pulling them off leaves the head under the skin, which causes an abscess to form
    • How is scabies caused?

      by mites that spend their life burrowed in the outer layers of your pets skin
    • mites cause pets to itch, which leads to raw, painful lesions caused by self inflicted scratching or chewing
    • how can mites be treated?

      there are oral, injectable and skin treatments. Antibiotics are used to treat secondary infections
    • What are endoparasites?

      A type of parasite that lives inside the body of an animal
    • What are some examples of endoparasites?

      roundworm and tapeworm
    • What are the symptoms of roundworm ?

      pot belly, diarrhoea, vomit, cough, losing weight, lose condition and healthy shine to the coat
    • some pets with roundworm will not show symptoms for several months. This is because the worms are dormant within the body, or that they are still eggs, or that there are not enough to cause a notable change in your pets behaviour or nourishment
    • Roundworm can be treated with worming tablets or injections
    • What are the symptoms of tapeworm?

      dried, cream coloured segments in faeces, or in the fur under the tail. Biting or licking of the anus, dragging hind quarters across the floor
    • How is tapeworm transmitted?

      injesting the immediate host containing larvae. Tape worm eggs are frequently injected through adult fleas. Scavenging may also lead to being infected
    • Tapeworms are easily treated with worming tablets or injections