Management of ticks and tick-borne diseases: challenges and opportunities

Ticks can seriously compromise the health of affected animals through various mechanisms. For example, severe anaemia or immunosuppression can result from blood loss caused by the feeding and...

Tick-borne diseases in dogs

Advising clients about prevention of tick bites, especially in the spring and summer months, may help prevent exposure to some dangerous TBDs. Some effective ways to avoid tick bites are to wear...

Exotic ticks and tick-borne diseases: the need to remain vigilant

Ticks are temporary ectoparasites as they attach to a host for a short period of time to take a blood meal. They are haematophagous and have a remarkable ability to transmit a wide variety of...

Do clients know enough to protect their pets and themselves from tick-borne diseases?

To ascertain client and staff knowledge of ticks a questionnaire (or quiz) was produced: ‘The TickTest’. The questionnaire consisted of closed, multiple choice questions offering respondents the...

Ticks and tick-borne diseases of pets in the UK: risks to travellers

Hard ticks are so called because of a hard scutum or shield on their dorsal surface (Figure 1). The scutum covers the whole of the surface of the male tick but only one third (when unfed) or a small...