When the long-awaited summer arrives, people go out into the countryside with pleasure, gardeners shoals go to their garden plots, and the children run barefoot on the grass carefree. But in all this natural splendor, and indeed at home, a person lies in wait for an imperceptible danger in the form of ticks. Alerted, then protected, and in our article the most dangerous ticks in the world that can cause irreparable harm to human health, and in some cases their bites can be fatal.
Interesting fact! It is incorrect to call ticks insects, because they belong to the class of arachnids, although together with insects they belong to the type of arthropods.
Ixodid ticks / Ixodida
The most dangerous tick family, with more than 650 species, belongs to the large order Ixodida. These small creatures are dangerous in that they are carriers of deadly diseases for humans - tick-borne encephalitis and tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease).
These tiny animals live in all corners of our planet, and even in Antarctica they parasitize on the bodies of penguins and birds. Adults grow up to 4 mm, and when filled with blood, reach a size of 10 mm. In Russia, ticks are found almost everywhere, except for arid places.
In one clutch there can be up to 15 thousand eggs, but only a few survive in the development process. These dangerous creatures live from 2 to 3 years.
And now a little more about the representatives of the dangerous family of Ixodid ticks ...
1
Blackfoot Tick / Ixodes scapularis
A black-footed tick living in the forest-steppe zone of Europe can infect a person with Lyme disease, as well as many other diseases: babesiosis and human granulocytic anaplasmosis.
Ixodes scapularis got its name from the characteristic black color of the limbs. Therefore, it is easy to identify in a wide variety of other species.
These are slow bloodsuckers, and after a bite they fill up with blood for 4-5 days. But it is advisable to immediately find it on your body, and remove it yourself or with the help of doctors. Although, if you do not plan a trip to the east coast of North America, then meeting with a black-footed bloodsucker will definitely not threaten you.
2
Taiga tick / Ixodes persulcatus
Another representative of this most common species of ticks usually lives in the forest zone, but you can find it in the meadows and thickets of small shrubs.
They are carriers of encephalitis, but with a bite, bacteria that excite other dangerous diseases can also get into the body of a person or animal. They are waiting for their prey in the grass or on the tree, not rising above one meter. Surprisingly, they do not have eyes, but they are perfectly oriented by the smells and warmth of people and animals. Ticks know very well where there are trails that people often follow, so you need to be careful, even when in places where people often stay.
In the past few years, the range of the taiga tick has expanded, and often they can be found in city parks, in suburban green areas and in summer cottages.
3
Dog tick / Ixodes ricinus
In addition to encephalitis and Lyme disease, this type of tick is a carrier of Marseille fever and tularemia.
The most dangerous areas where you can meet dog ticks are in Europe and Asia, but a small population also lives in North America and Africa.
The body color of Ixodes ricinus is brown with a small dark spot, but the limbs are much darker than the body. They grow no more than 4 mm, and when filled with blood, nymphs can reach 11 mm.
It is a mistake to assume that these animals bite only dogs. They pose a danger to other animals, including humans.
Dermacentor
A fairly common tick genus of the subfamily Amblyomminae, which, in addition to the forest zone, can also live in the steppe. The danger to human and mammalian life is that they can be carriers of deadly diseases. Imagine a few subspecies ...
4
Brown Tick / Dermacentor reticulatus
Quite large mites, the female of which grows to 4.3 mm, are common in the wooded areas of Europe and in Western Asia.
Males, unlike other species, are much larger than females and reach a body length of up to 4.8 mm. Females lay eggs, the number of which depends on their own size. The maturation period of the larvae takes place from 14 to 21 days.
Brown mites are carriers of the most dangerous diseases for humans, such as: Babesia canis, Francisella tularensis.
5
Pasture tick / Dermacentor marginatus
A dangerous type of tick that can be found in the steppe zone is a carrier of tick-borne typhus and many other dangerous diseases, including encephalitis and Omsk fever.
Dermacentor marginatus parasites on large domestic animals, as well as on some inhabitants of the forest-steppe zone, such as hares or hedgehogs. The length of the adult reaches 4-5 mm, and filled with blood up to 15 mm.
This species is dangerous because adult individuals often attack people, so it is necessary to carry out preventive measures to clear the areas around the home, and treat the tents with special drugs.
And a few more species of the most dangerous inhabitants of our planet ...
6
Argasidae ticks / Argasidae
After the description and photo of the 5 most dangerous ticks in the world, we move on to other, no less dangerous species. Unlike its counterparts, an argas tick is distinguished by a soft skin, that is, it does not have a protective shell, like other species.
Perhaps because of this structural feature, Argasidae prefers to live in closed places, climbing into crevices, bird nests, caves, grottoes and burrows. It is active only at night, but in shady areas it can attack a person during the day.
The most dangerous individuals of this species are the Caucasian Tick, causing an endemic relapsing fever when bitten; and Settlement tick, which is a carrier of tick-borne typhus and borrelliosis.
7
Gamasina tick / Gamasina
In the photo: on the left is an adult individual of one of the species of Gamasid ticks Vorroa; On the right is Varroa destructor, located on a bee pupa.
This ticks infraorder contains more than 6 thousand parasitic species that are dangerous for animals and humans.
These are small animals about 1 mm long. By the length of their life cycle, these ticks live the least, up to 7 months. But they are common in a wooded area, and prefer closed areas, climbing into holes, cracks, and live under the bark of trees.
But for such a short period of life, gamasid ticks repeatedly feed and lay eggs. Parasitize on pets and birds. May appear in poultry that are kept in the apartment.
They grow in length no more than 3 mm. Most common in small rodents, rats, and mice. There are even corresponding subspecies - Rat and Mouse tick.
8
Subcutaneous tick
The most dangerous thing in this type of ticks is that, as you can guess from the name, they can be located under human skin for a long time. But it’s scary that usually a person does not even suspect his existence.
Only when immunity is weakened, at the time of a cold or other infectious disease, the tick begins to move deeper into the human body, causing pain, itching, redness and allergies.
Mostly ticks choose soft spots, but the biggest problem for a person becomes when parasites live under the skin on a person's face.
9
Scabies itch / Sarcoptes scabiei
Another intradermal parasite, which is popularly called simply “scabies mite”. This name was given to this type of arthropod due to the fact that it causes scabies.
Once in the body of a person or animal, the itch begins to break passages under the skin, while feeding on blood. Moving, causes severe itching and redness. These ticks are very small, and adults do not exceed the size of 0.45 mm.
This parasite is dangerous not only because it causes severe scabies, but also because in places of irritation suppuration and inflammatory processes begin.
10
Bed (linen, dust) tick
The last on our list, a bed tick (not to be confused with bed bugs) lives in close proximity to a person, in his home. Their feature is that they do not live on the human body.
Their natural habitat is dust, feathers or fluff in clothing or pillows. It would seem that the most secluded and safe place of a person, but it can also be fraught with serious danger.
Settling in an apartment or a country house, bed mites cause scabies, severe irritation. Many mistakenly believe that they bite a person, causing unpleasant symptoms in the form of itching and redness. But these animals do not enter into direct contact with humans. The fault is their stool. One individual per day can defecate up to 20 times. Contact with their feces causes unpleasant effects, including asthma, itching, severe allergic reactions, such as shortness of breath or severe runny nose.
In conclusion
In conclusion, we note that in total in nature there are about 48 thousand varieties of these dangerous animals. In addition, they live on all continents, and even in the harsh climate of Antarctica. Many of them, as you can see for yourself, are the causative agents of the most dangerous and sometimes fatal diseases in the human body.
In the photo: a tick of the species Alaskozetes antarcticus, one of many living in the Antarctic. Able to survive in freezing temperatures. His body is about 0.2 mm long, but he is considered one of the largest invertebrates in the region.
And the last warning, but rather advice. If you are bitten by a tick, no matter what type it belongs to, be sure to contact a medical institution, because every sixth tick on Earth is a carrier of diseases. In addition, in order to give a tick for research, it must be alive!
Most beautiful…
No wonder our site is most-beauty.ru so named. That is why now we will show some not dangerous, but beautiful ticks.
Strawberry
And this handsome man is absolutely not dangerous for people. This is a strawberry tick that lives only on the leaves of strawberries. We just liked his photo and we decided to share it with you.
Spider web
And this spider mite is also safe for humans. This species is very common throughout the planet.
Stick
A beautiful but serious pest of citrus and other crops. In the photo, it is captured on a tea stalk. Image magnified 260 times.
If you have something to add on the topic, or you want to share an interesting story, write about it in the comments to the article.