External Parasites

INAG 120 – Equine Health

Management
November 26, 2008
Ectoparasites
 = parasites that attack skin and
body openings
 Flies
 Black Flies/Midges
 Ticks
 Mosquitoes
 Lice
 Mites
Mechanism of blood feeding

 Females: Blood = Protein

 Males generally subsist on sugars
from nectar, etc.
 EXCEPT: stable flies and horn
flies
 Both sexes feed on blood
 Flies can detect and follow an “odor
plume” at great distances
Mechanism of blood feeding
 Most flies can detect Carbon Dioxide
 Flies are also sensitive to heat and
moisture
 Mouth-parts differ between species
 Blade- or sword-like with serrated edges
 Once blood starts flowing, fly secretes
saliva that prevents coagulation
 Saliva is allergenic and causes swelling and
irritation
Life cycles

 Four major phases of life:

 Egg
 Larva
 Pupa
 Adult
 Lifecycles vary in timing and
duration depending on species
Disease transmission
 Insects that transmit diseases = vectors
 Two types of transmission:
 Mechanical
 Biological
 Deerflies, horseflies, stable flies are
thought to be able to transmit anthrax on
their mouthparts
 Mosquitoes and ticks serve as biological
reservoirs for other diseases
Flies

 Horseflies
 Deer flies
 Stable flies
 Horn flies
 Face flies
 Bot flies
Horseflies &
Deerflies

 Breed in boggy
areas
 Active only during
the day in warm
weather
 Deerflies have
patterned wings
and are smaller
 Horseflies have
transparent wings
Horseflies & Deerflies
 Larvae overwinter
in the soil
 Prefer wet mud
near or under
ponds, marshes,
or streams
 One cow can lose
one quarter liter of
blood per day in
heavily infested
areas!
Stable Flies and Horn Flies
 Introduced from
Europe
 Spend almost
entire adult lives
on their host
(horses and cattle)
 Stable flies look
like house flies
 Bite ankles of
people, legs of
horses
Stable Flies and Horn Flies
 Mouth parts are
jabbed into skin
like a needle
 Curved spines at
the tip move back
and forth making
hole deeper and
wider
 Larvae develop in
manure and
decaying
vegetation
Face Flies
 Non-biters
 Closely resemble
house flies, larger
than horn flies
 Feed on mucous
secretions around
eyes, nose, mouth
 Lay eggs in fresh
manure
 Can transmit eye
problems
Bot Flies
 Lay their eggs on legs and
chests of horses
 Horses lick that area ingest
eggs
 Eggs hatch in intestines
 Internal/External parasites!
 Deworming program to
control bots
Bots
 Black Flies/Midges - Onchocerca
 Spread a parasitic roundworm,
Onchocerca, which causes bumps to form
in skin, can also be found in the eye!

Onchocerciasis in the eye of a horse. By

permission from Knottenbelt DC, Pascoe RR,
Diseases and Disorders of the Horse,
Saunders, 2003
Ticks
 Lyme disease
 Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Lyme Disease
 Spirochetal (corkscrew-shaped)
bacteria – Borrelia burgdorferi
 Transmitted through the bite of a
deer or black-legged tick
 Endemic areas for Lyme disease:
 Northeast
 Mid-Atlantic
 Northern Midwest states
 Northern California
Borrelia burgdorferi
Lyme Disease Transmission
 Larval deer ticks can become
infected with bacteria if they take a
blood meal from a rodent already
infected
 Transmit disease with subsequent
blood meals
 Ticks have 3 developmental stages:
 Larvae, nymph, adult
 Must have a blood meal before they
can molt to next stage
 Two-Year Life Cycle of Deer Tick
MEAL 1
EGGS LARVAE • Mouse
• Bird
NYMPHS

Eggs laid
adults die
MEAL 2 Nymphs molt
Peak Feeding in into adults
people, horses, mice
Meal 3 (for
adults that
Larvae molt
didn’t feed SPRING SUMMER
into nymph
in fall)
WINTER FALL stage
• Person
•Deer
•Horse ADULTS

Meal 3
• Person
•Deer
•Horse

Nymphs dormant
Lyme Disease Transmission

 Ticks live for 2 years

 Must attach to animal host and feed
for 12-24 hours before the bacteria
can be transmitted to new host!
 Natural host of larval ticks = white-
footed mouse
 Host of nymph ticks = humans,
rodents, dogs, cats, birds, etc.
 Host of adult = deer plus others
Lyme Disease

 Multisystem disease!
 Clinical Signs:
 Joints
 Musculoskeletal system
 Neurological system
 Subclinical infection is common!
 Development of clinical signs only
occurs in 10% of infected animals!
Lyme Disease and Horses

 Spring and Fall  adult tick most

active
 Found commonly around head,
throatlatch area, belly, under tail
 Prompt removal of tick reduces risk
of infection
 Most common signs = behavioral
changes and shifting lameness
Lyme Disease and Horses
 Diagnosis is difficult – VERY political!
 Blood test detects antibodies/exposure to
bacteria
1. History of tick exposure (or endemic area)
2. Veterinary clinical exam suggestive of Lyme
disease
3. Elimination of other possible diagnoses
(lameness exams, x-rays, blood work for
other diseases, etc.)
4. Positive blood tests for Lyme Disease
Lyme Disease Treatment
 Antibiotics –
 “Gold Standard” = IV Tetracycline (6.6 mg/kg)
for 10 days followed by oral doxycycline for 30
days
 Oral doxycycline alone more common (10
mg/kg 2x per day)
 Several weeks – with response to therapy
within 2-5 days
 Monitor titers
 Anti-inflammatories
 Pro-biotics to replenish gut microbes
killed by antibiotics
 Side Effects!
Lyme Disease Prevention
 No Vaccine licensed for horses
 TICK CONTROL!!
 Daily grooming and removal of ticks
 Tick repellents applied to head, neck,
legs, belly and under tail
 Permethrin or DEET are particularly effective
 Keep pastures mown
 Remove brush, woodpiles, etc. to
decrease rodent nesting areas
Mosquitoes
 May be
encountered day
and night
 Many different
species
 Attracted to
incandescent light
but not to
fluorescent light!
Lice

 Most common of external parasites

 Two varieties:
 Chewing/Biting – feed on skin cells
 Sucking – feed on blood
 Horse with lice:
 Heavy dandruff
 Greasy skin
 Bald spots
Lice

 Can cause weight loss, general

unthriftiness, anemia
 Winterspring problem!
 Lice are host-specific and spend
their entire lives on the animal!
 Transmitted by direct
contact
 Control with pesticide
Mites

 Microscopic!
 Can cause mange
 Sarcoptic mites (head neck, shoulders,
flanks, abdomen)
 Psoroptic/scab mites – skin surface 
gooey scabs and crusts
 Chorioptic mites  most common, seen
on skin, cause scaling on legs
“Clydesdale itch”
Psoroptic Mange…
Fly Control
More Fly Control
Premise Control

 Control standing water

 Compost manure far away from
animals
 Chain-drag fields and paddocks
 Feed pelleted feed vs. sweet feed
 Stall fans
 Spray barn with Permectrin or Buzz
Off