Ectoparasites

• What is the shape of adult fleas when viewed from the side?

  Flattened
• Adult fleas outnumber their larvae and pupae in the environment.

  False
• Species of fleas are identified by combs on the back of the head
• How long does the life cycle of lice typically take?

  2-3 weeks
• Match the host animal with a chewing louse species:

  Cattle ↔️ Damalinia bovis

  Dogs ↔️ Trichodectes canis
• Lice can survive indefinitely off their host.

  False
• Louse eggs are cemented individually onto hairs
• What is a common symptom of heavy lice infestations?

  Hair/feather loss
• Lice infestations are worst in summer due to warmer weather.

  False
• Biting flies seek a protein-rich meal before laying eggs
• Arrange the learning outcomes of this study material in the correct order:

  1️⃣ Identify major types of ectoparasites

  2️⃣ Describe the basic lifecycle of common veterinary ectoparasites

  3️⃣ Describe diseases caused by major ectoparasites

  4️⃣ State techniques to diagnose each major group
• What is the term for fly larvae that cause disease?

  Myiasis
• Non-biting muscid flies like Musca domestica transmit parasitic diseases as mechanical and true vectors
• Biting flies can transmit pathogens mechanically but not as true vectors.

  False
• Which non-biting muscid fly worries cattle by feeding on secretions from wounds and eyes?

  Face fly
• Match the biting fly with its key characteristic:

  Stable fly ↔️ Larger than Musca with spots

  Horn fly ↔️ Smaller than Musca
• Non-biting muscid flies have forward-pointing mouthparts for skin penetration.

  False
• Sheep keds are wingless blood-sucking flies that cause pruritis and wool loss
• Where are tsetse flies confined geographically?

  Africa
• The lifecycle of sheep keds takes approximately 5 weeks.
• What is the name of a primary parasitic blowfly that feeds on surface tissue?

  Greenbottle
• Screwworms are secondary obligate myiasis flies found in the tropics
• What conditions do Lucilia sericata larvae prefer for hatching and feeding?

  Humidity
• Pathogen-free Lucilia sericata maggots can be used in medicine to debride infected wounds.
• Hard ticks have a chitinous dorsal plate called a scutum
• Three-host ticks feed on the same animal throughout their entire lifecycle.

  False
• Which category of ticks has hidden mouthparts and no scutum?

  Soft ticks
• Soft ticks undergo one larval and several nymphal stages before becoming adults
• Match the hard tick with its associated disease:

  Ixodes ricinus ↔️ Lyme disease

  Rhipicephalus ↔️ Theileriosis
• Parasitic mites transmit as many diseases as ticks.

  False
• What is the name of the soft tick that affects cattle, dogs, and horses in America and Asia?

  Spinose ear tick
• Demodex mites are cigar-shaped and live in hair follicles and sebaceous glands
• What type of mite is Sarcoptes scabiei primarily found in?

  Burrowing mites
• Demodex mites cause severe itching in affected animals.

  False
• Demodex mites are normally harmless skin commensals
• Order the life cycle stages of Demodex mites.

  1️⃣ Infection passed from dam to offspring

  2️⃣ Mites live in hair follicles and sebaceous glands

  3️⃣ Life cycle completes in 3 weeks
• Sarcoptes scabiei causes scabies in humans and sarcoptic mange in other animals.
• Trombiculids are parasitic only in their larval stage.
• Trombiculids burrow into the skin to lay eggs.

  False
• Sarcoptes scabiei is host-adapted and zoonotic.