''Rhipicephalus sanguineus'', commonly called the brown dog tick, kennel tick,
or pantropical dog tick,
is a species of
tick
Ticks (order Ixodida) are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living by ...
found worldwide, but more commonly in warmer climates. This species is unusual among ticks in that its entire
lifecycle
Life cycle, life-cycle, or lifecycle may refer to:
Science and academia
* Biological life cycle, the sequence of life stages that an organism undergoes from birth to reproduction ending with the production of the offspring
*Life-cycle hypothesis ...
can be completed indoors.
The brown dog tick is easily recognized by its reddish-brown color, elongated body shape, and hexagonal basis capituli (flat surface where mouthparts are attached). Adults are 2.28 to 3.18 mm in length and 1.11 to 1.68 mm in width. They do not have ornamentation on their backs.
Development
The tick follows the normal developmental stages of egg, larva, nymph, and adult. It is called a three-host tick because it feeds on a different host during each of the larval, nymphal, and adult stages. However, the hosts tend to be of one species. Larvae feed for 5–15 days, drop from the host, and develop into nymphs after 1–2 weeks. The nymphs then attach to either the previous host or a different host and feed for 3–13 days before dropping from the host. After two weeks, they develop into adults and attach to another host where they continue to ingest blood, followed by a period of mating. The females drop yet again in order to lay their eggs, which can total up to 7,000 in number.
''Rhipicephalus sanguineus'' can acquire bacterial or protozoal causative agents of disease at any of these life stages.
Hosts
''Rhipicephalus sanguineus'' feeds on a wide variety of
mammal
Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
s, but
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
s are the preferred host in the U.S., and the population can reach pest proportions in houses and
kennels.
The preferred attachment sites on a dog are the head, ears, back, between toes, and
axilla.
Medical importance
''Rhipicephalus sanguineus'' is one of the most important
vectors of diseases in dogs worldwide. In the United States, ''R. sanguineus'' is a vector of many disease-causing pathogens in dogs, including ''
Ehrlichia canis'', which causes
canine ehrlichiosis, and ''
Babesia canis
''Babesia canis'' is a parasite that infects red blood cells and can lead to anemia. This is a species that falls under the overarching genus ''Babesia''. It is transmitted by the brown dog tick (''Rhipicephalus sanguineus'') and is one of the mo ...
,'' which is responsible for canine
babesiosis
Babesiosis or piroplasmosis is a malaria-like parasitic disease caused by infection with a eukaryotic parasite in the order Piroplasmida, typically a ''Babesia'' or ''Theileria'', in the phylum Apicomplexa. Human babesiosis transmission via ti ...
. In dogs, symptoms of canine ehrlichiosis include lameness and fever; those for babesiosis include fever,
anorexia, and
anemia
Anemia or anaemia (British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, or a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin. When anemia comes on slowly, th ...
. ''R. sanguineus'' has not been shown to transmit the
bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...
that cause
Lyme disease
Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a vector-borne disease caused by the ''Borrelia'' bacterium, which is spread by ticks in the genus ''Ixodes''. The most common sign of infection is an expanding red rash, known as erythema migran ...
in humans.
In parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, it is a vector of ''
Rickettsia conorii
''Rickettsia conorii'' is a Gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacterium of the genus ''Rickettsia'' that causes human disease called boutonneuse fever, Mediterranean spotted fever, Israeli tick typhus, Astrakhan spotted fever, Kenya tick ty ...
'', known locally as
Mediterranean spotted fever
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the eas ...
, boutonneuse fever, or tick typhus.
It can also transmit ''
Rickettsia rickettsii
''Rickettsia rickettsii'' (abbreviated as ''R. rickettsii'') is a gram-negative, intracellular, coccobacillus bacterium that is around 0.8 to 2.0 μm long. ''R. rickettsii'' is the causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. ''R. rickettsii ...
,'' the bacteria responsible for causing
Rocky Mountain spotted fever in humans in the
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, Ne ...
.
Vector-borne pathogens found in ''R. sanguineus''
*''Babesia vogeli''
*''
Babesia canis
''Babesia canis'' is a parasite that infects red blood cells and can lead to anemia. This is a species that falls under the overarching genus ''Babesia''. It is transmitted by the brown dog tick (''Rhipicephalus sanguineus'') and is one of the mo ...
''
*''Coxiella burnetii''
*''
Ehrlichia canis''
*''Hepatozoon canis''
*''Mycoplasma haemocanis''
*''
Rickettsia conorii
''Rickettsia conorii'' is a Gram-negative, obligate intracellular bacterium of the genus ''Rickettsia'' that causes human disease called boutonneuse fever, Mediterranean spotted fever, Israeli tick typhus, Astrakhan spotted fever, Kenya tick ty ...
''
*''
Rickettsia rickettsii
''Rickettsia rickettsii'' (abbreviated as ''R. rickettsii'') is a gram-negative, intracellular, coccobacillus bacterium that is around 0.8 to 2.0 μm long. ''R. rickettsii'' is the causative agent of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. ''R. rickettsii ...
''
*''
Wolbachia spp''
Management
The best management strategy is prevention of infestations in the house or kennel. In addition, the earlier the infestation is discovered, the easier it is to control. Regular grooming and inspection of pets is essential to management, especially when dogs have been quartered or have interacted with other dogs.
Distribution
A
cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
species, it can be found in worldwide
with the exception of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
where Hoyle et al 2001 and Bates et al 2002 find it only in
quarantine kennel
A kennel is a structure or shelter for dogs. Used in the plural, ''the kennels'', the term means any building, collection of buildings or a property in which dogs are housed, maintained, and (though not in all cases) bred. A kennel can be made o ...
s. No further intrusion into the UK has been found .
See also
*
Ticks of domestic animals
Ticks of domestic animals directly cause poor health and loss of production to their hosts. Ticks also transmit numerous kinds of viruses, bacteria, and protozoa between domestic animals. These microbes cause diseases which can be severely debilita ...
References
External links
Brown dog tickon the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
/
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is a teaching, research and Extension scientific organization focused on agriculture and natural resources. It is a partnership of federal, state, and county governmen ...
''Featured Creatures'' website
* ICb.usp.br
* Extento.hawaii.edu
{{Authority control
Arachnids of South America
Ticks
Parasites of dogs
Animals described in 1806
Ixodidae
Cosmopolitan arthropods