Abstract
BIOLOGY, IMPORTANCE AND CONTROLL METHODS OF TICKS
Tariku Hailu Belay*
ABSTRACT
Ticks and mites are currently grouped with members of the subclassAcari, which is the largest subclass in the class Arachnida of thesuborder Ixodida within the order Parasitiformes. Ticks are dividedinto two large families, the Argasidae and the Ixodidae, with a total ofabout 850 species. All ticks are obligate temporary parasites ofvertebrate animals and are characterized by a complex developmentalcycle. The life cycle typically includes the larva (hatching from theegg), that, after feeding, drops to the ground and molts to the nymph.As a matter of fact relatively few species of ticks have successfullyadapted to livestock or feed on a human subject, and these havedeveloped into efficient vectors of a range of pathogenic microorganisms, while virtually allhuman tick-borne diseases are zoonoses. Ticks and tick-transmitted infections havecoevolved with various wild animal hosts which often live in a state of equilibrium with themand constitute reservoir hosts for ticks and tick-borne pathogens of livestock, pets andhumans. Ticks comprise veterinary problem because they transmit diseases, produceparalysis or toxicosis, and cause physical damage to livestock.
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