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Ticks
Order Acarina

There are four ticks of significant importance in Australia.

  • The Paralysis Tick (Ixodes holocyclus)
  • The Cattle Tick (Boophilus microplus)
  • The Bush Tick  (Haemaphysalis longicornis)
  • The Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)

Ticks have four developmental stages - egg, larva, nymph and adult.
Nymphs must have a blood meal to progress to adult and the female adult must have a blood meal before she can produce eggs. The male does not feed on blood, and as a consequence does not attach itself to an animal host.
Accurate identification of ticks can be difficult and expert opinion may be needed.
Humans displaying tick-poisoning symptoms should seek medical assistance. Animals, especially dogs and cats with tick-poisoning symptoms must be referred to a veterinarian.
It should be understood that the size of a tick is often an indication of its age rather than its type. 

The Paralysis Tick ( Ixodes holocyclus)
Female lays up to 6000 eggs.
Location: Northern Queensland to Bairnsdale in Victoria along the coastal regions. Causes paralysis. Occasionally, this tick causes death to humans

Description: Before a blood meal, the female is yellowish in colour. As she fills with blood, the colour changes to greyish blue with a shield like brown line that tends to encircle the body. The front and back pairs of legs are brown and the middle two pairs are usually a paler yellowish colour.

Size:  Fully engorged, she may be up to 18mm in length

Symptoms:
Humans

  • Headache, especially if the tick is in the scalp.
  • Difficulty in reading or focussing.
  • Blurred vision and weakness of limbs - (Increasing to paralysis after four days)
  • Muscles assisting respiration become affected and breathing becomes difficult    Animals
  • Weakness of the legs - a slowness in walking, a wobbly gait, or a tendency to lose balance or fall over.
  • Vomiting or dry retching.
  • Difficulty in breathing, or a change in the breathing pattern.(Important: Sometimes only ONE of these three signs is present, sometimes two, sometimes all three.)

After the onset of symptoms, it is not wise to attempt removal of the tick from a pet, as removal may cause more toxin to be transferred which may worsen the pets’ condition.

 Paralysis Tick & it's Distribution

The Cattle Tick. (Boophilus microplus)
Introduced from Indonesia in 1872. Considered the most serious external parasite of cattle in Australia. The vector is responsible for spreading tick fever. Can also affect buffalo, deer, horses, sheep and goats. This tick is rarely found on dogs.                                                                                                                  

Decription: Has an oval to rectangular in shape.  The face is orange/brown. Body is brown to blue/grey with white at front and sides. Legs are pale cream. 

Size: Unfed ticks are the size of match heads (about 3mm). Fully fed, about 10mm

Location: Found in Queensland, north-eastern New South Wales, Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Cattle Tick Distribution

The Bush Tick.  (Haemaphysalis longicornis)
Also known as the Scrub Tick and New Zealand Cattle Tick.

Location: Found in the south-eastern coastal area of Queensland, along the New South Wales coastline and thru north-eastern Victoria along the Murray River.

Description: Body shape is oval. Dark red/brown  to  dark blue/grey colouring.

Size: Unfed ticks are the size of match heads (about 3mm). Fully fed, about 10mm.

Bush Tick & It's Distribution                                                                                                                       

The Brown Dog Tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus)An introduced species. Female lays up to 4000 eggs. Unfed adults may survive for at least 18 months. One of the most widespread species of tick in the world.

Location: Found mainly in inland areas of Queensland, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. More common in the northern parts of Australia. Carries a wide range of infectious diseases including Babesia Canis, which can occur as a symptomless carrier state or in disease form ranging in severity from mild to severe and occasionally causing death.

Description: Brown. All four pairs of legs are equally coloured.

Size: About 4mm long before feeding and up to 12mm long and 6mm wide when engorged

The Brown Dog Tick & It's Distribution

The Indigenous Tick. (Ixodes cornuatus)
Found in Western Australia, Tasmania, southeast coastal New South Wales and central Victoria. This tick is also suspected of causing paralysis. Very little lay information is currently avaialable

Indigenous Tick Distribution

 

There is at least another 50 other tick species found in Australia, including the Cat Tick, Possum Tick, Opossum Tick and the Wallaby Tick

TREATMENT
There are several strategies available to reduce the number of ticks in an area and minimise the hazard:

  • Exclude Bandicoots. Bandicoots are native animals and a protected species, and may not be killed. They can be trapped and released elsewhere, reducing one of the most important means of spreading ticks.
  • Do not encourage wallabies and kangaroos that frequently roam the suburbs of the Shoalhaven..
  • Eliminate moist areas. Ticks prefer a moist, almost swamp like environment.
  • Remove all excess vegetation growing above grass height.
  • Washing domestic animals in an approved and registered pesticide on a regular basis.
  • An pesticide application by spraying foliage and all areas suspected of harbouring ticks by using products such as Diazinon, Chlorpyrifos and Bifenthrin

For further information on Lymes disease please Click Here

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