Parasites

Question 1

What are the two categories that ectoparasites fall into?

Answer 1

insects
arachnids

Question 2

What are insects?

Answer 2

an ectoparasite that has three pairs of legs and it’s body split into the head, thorax and the abdomen

Question 3

What are arachnids?

Answer 3

an ectoparasite that has four pairs of legs and it’s body divided into two parts

Question 4

Is a flea an insect or an arachnid?

Answer 4

insect

Question 5

Is a louse an insect or an arachnid?

Answer 5

insect

Question 6

Is a tick an insect or an arachnid?

Answer 6

arachnid

Question 7

Are mites insects or arachnids?

Answer 7

arachnids

Question 8

What does it mean when a flea is not species specific?

Answer 8

the same fleas can infect animals of different species
for example cats can get fleas from dogs

Question 9

What makes fleas so successful?

Answer 9

they have laterally compressed bodies and are specialised at moving quickly through fur undetected

Question 10

How can animal be diagnosed with having fleas?

Answer 10

finding flea dirt on the animal by brushing or stroking them

Question 11

How many eggs can female flea lay in her lifetime?

Answer 11

up to 2000 eggs

Question 12

What is the lifecycle of a flea?

Answer 12

female lays eggs

after 2-10 days the eggs hatch into larvae
larvae are afraid of light and hide in dark corners and cracks while feeding on their mother’s or other fleas’ faeces

after 7-21 days the larvae make a cocoon called pupae that is camouflaged by blending in with it’s environment

after 7-200+ days the flea emerges from the pupae

adult fleas must feed on blood before they can reproduce

48 hours after reproduction the female lays their eggs

Question 13

What can lice be responsible for the transmission of?

Answer 13

tapeworm

Question 14

Are lice host specific?

Answer 14

all lice are host specific

Question 15

What is the lifecycle of a louse?

Answer 15

lice cluster together at the base of the hairs

adult lice lay eggs

eggs hatch into nymphs

nymphs moult three times before becoming adults

Question 16

What disease can ticks carry?

Answer 16

Lyme’s disease

Question 17

What can a large number of ticks cause?

Answer 17

anaemia

Question 18

What are the four life stages of a tick?

Answer 18

egg
larvae
nymph
adult

Question 19

What are the symptoms of fleas?

Answer 19

scratching
redness
flea dirt

Question 20

What is the treatment for fleas?

Answer 20

topical spot on

Question 21

What are the preventable treatments for fleas?

Answer 21

regular bathing
regular grooming
spot on treatment recommended by vet

Question 22

What are the symptoms of lice?

Answer 22

bold patches
irritation
scratching

Question 23

What is the treatment for lice?

Answer 23

lice powder (for chickens)
topical shampoo
regular grooming and bathing

Question 24

What is the preventable treatment for lice?

Answer 24

topical treatment

Question 25

What do endoparasites include?

Answer 25

roundworm
tapeworm
lungworm
whipworm
heartworm
bladder worm
liver worm

Question 26

What are the two types of endoparasites?

Answer 26

nematodes
cestodes

Question 27

What animals does tapeworm infect?

Answer 27

carnivorous animals

Question 28

How do tapeworms attach to the intestinal wall?

Answer 28

use their hook shaped mouths to attach

Question 29

How do tapeworms affect an animal?

Answer 29

steals nutrients from the food the animal is eating

Question 30

What are the three parts the tapeworms are composed of?

Answer 30

head (scolex)
neck portions
several body segments called proglottids

Question 31

What is the lifecycle of a tapeworm?

Answer 31

eggs ingested by larvae flea

larvae flea develops into adult flea and contains immature tapeworm

infected flea ingested by animal

adult worm develops in small intestine

posterior segments of adult worms passed in faeces

segments and egg packets in faeces and on fur

Question 32

What is the most common nematode?

Answer 32

roundworm

Question 33

What can roundworm cause?

Answer 33

liver problems
epileptic seizures
permanent blindness

Question 34

What treatments are there for roundworm?

Answer 34

tablets
liquid

Question 35

What is the lifecycle of a roundworm?

Answer 35

flies, cockroaches, birds and rodents ingest and carry infected larvae

adult cats eat larvae or carrier of larvae

kitten drinks infested milk

cats and kittens excrete eggs in faeces

eggs develop into infected larvae inside the egg