What
are ticks?
Ticks
are bloodsucking ectoparasites.
What
is an Ectoparasite?
An
ectoparasite is a parasite that lives on the
exterior of an animal.
Are
there different types of ticks?
Yes,
there are hundreds of species of ticks worldwide.
Australia has around 70 species of ticks.
What
type of ticks affect cats in Australia?
Paralysis
Ticks (Ixodes holocyclus).
Where
do they ticks live?
The
paralysis tick lives on the east coast of
Australia from North Queensland to Northern
Victoria.
When
are ticks most prevalent?
In
northern parts of Australia, ticks can be found
all year. In the cooler southern areas, tick
season is generally from spring through to
late autumn.
What
do paralysis ticks look like?
(click
to enlarge)
Tick
Mouth Parts
Life
Cycle of the Paralysis Tick
Ticks
have 4 stages of life...
1)
Egg
2)
Larva (6 legged)
3)
Nymph (8 legged)
4)
Adult (8 legged)
What
do Paralysis Ticks do?
The
tick attaches to the cat & borrows it's
mouthparts into the skin. It sucks the blood &
injects a neurotoxin called Holocyclotoxin, which
causes paralysis. It is usually the female
tick who attaches to animals, the male actually
parasitises the female tick. The tick is fairly
small when it attaches to it's host, growing in
size as it consumes more blood. Illness doesn't
occur quickly, as it does with animals such as
snakes & spiders, it can take hours or even
days before symptoms of poisoning become apparent.
That's not to say that ticks aren't as deadly as
other poisonous animals & it is advisable you
take your cat to a veterinarian, just to be on the
safe side.
What
is a Neurotoxin & What does Holocyclotoxin do?
A
neurotoxin is a toxic substance which damages or
destroys the cells of the central nervous system.
* Holocyclotoxin is a neurotoxin which is
excreted from the tick's salivary glands into the
cat. Holocyclotoxin inhibits release of
acetylcholine in neurons.
*
Other examples of neurotoxins are:
Botulinum
toxin from bacteria, this blocks acetylcholine
release.
Apamin
from the honey bee, which blocks potassium
channels.
Versutoxin
from the funnel web spider, which opens sodium
channels.
How
do Paralysis Ticks get onto cats?
Stimuli
such as heat & movement alert the tick to a
potential host. They climb onto vegetation &
when an animal passes, it waves it's forelegs
(known as questing) until it makes contact with
the host.
What
are the signs of tick poisoning in cats?
Symptoms of tick paralysis include;
-
Loss of appetite
-
Vomiting
or dry retching, excessive salivation,
difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing,
coughing.
-
Change to meow.
-
Coughing.
-
Noisy panting.
-
Difficulty swallowing.
As
symptoms progress you may notice;
-
Limb
weakness, starting in the hind legs, progressing to
the front legs, appearing wobbly &
uncoordinated, falling over, paralysis.
-
Incontinence.
-
Laboured breathing.
-
Coma.
I
was at a cat seminar a few years ago & one of
the vets there mentioned a couple of interesting
warning signs. He said that a cat's pupils will
dilate & it can sometimes lose it's ability to
meow when it's been poisoned by a tick. The large
pupils & inability to meow can show up days
before more obvious symptoms of poisoning become
apparent.
What
to do if your cat has been poisoned by a tick?
Try
to keep yourself & your cat as calm as
possible. Remove food & water as poisoning can
prevent the cat from swallowing properly, which in
turn could lead to choking. Take it to the
veterinarian as soon as possible. The longer you
delay taking your cat to a vet, the worse the
symptoms will become, which may lead to death.
How
do you prevent tick poisoning?
Check
your pet thoroughly every day for ticks. Start
from the tip of the nose & work your way right
down to the tail. Ensure you check between the
toes, inside the ears (be careful).
Avoid
allowing your cat to wander in the native
bushland. However, ticks aren't found exclusively
in native bushland.
Regularly
use insecticides such as the ones listed below if
your cat goes outside.
What
products can you use to prevent ticks?
Frontline
Plus Top Spot, Frontline Spray, Fidos Fre-Itch
Rinse Concentrate, Proban Tablets or Oral Liquid.
What
treatment will be performed on a cat who has been
poisoned by a tick?
Your
pet will almost certainly be hospitalised. It
will be given antiserum. Treatment depends on the
severity of the symptoms, and is different from
case to case. The greater the severity, the more
care the animal will need & mortality rate
increases, which is why it's so important to seek
veterinary care as soon as you suspect tick
poisoning. Symptoms may include pneumonia, high
blood pressure, heart problems, vomiting &
respiratory difficulties.
If
it is having difficulty breathing, it may be given
oxygen. It may also be put on a drip to prevent
dehydration.
Recovery
is dependent upon severity of symptoms. Generally
veterinary treatment takes 2+ days. You will be
required to care for your cat for some time after
it has been discharged from the hospital also.
What
is antiserum?
Antiserum
is a serum that contains antibodies obtained from
dogs which have been made hyperimmune via repeated
exposure to paralysis ticks.
How
does it work?
Antibodies
in the serum, which are produced by the white
blood cells work to neutralise or destroy the
toxins produced by the tick.
Do
Paralysis Ticks affect other animals?
Yes,
ticks affect native animals too. Including
marsupials, reptiles, birds & dogs. The
Bandicoot is a particular favourite.
What
is Lyme disease?
Lyme
disease is the Borrelia burgdorferi
bacteria which is transmitted via tick bites.
Does
Lyme disease affect cats?
Yes,
although it has yet to be proven that the
Paralysis Tick passes on Lyme disease to cats in
Australia. Lyme disease is passed on via the Deer
Tick, also known as the Black Legged tick (Ixodes
scapularis) in North America. You cannot catch
Lyme disease from your pet, but it is possible for
humans to become infected from ticks.
What
is Queensland Tick Typhus (Rickettsia australis)?
Tick
Typhus is a bacterial infection caused by the
Paralysis Tick.
Can
Queensland Tick Typhus affect cats?
In
my research, it doesn't appear to do so, however
it does affect humans, again the mode of
transmission is via the tick.
Is
there a tick vaccine?
No,
not currently although the University of
Technology, Sydney are working on a tick toxin
vaccine.
Can
ticks affect humans?
Yes
they can. Most tick bites cause few problems to
people, however there is a serious danger if the
person has a severe allergic reaction to the tick
bite or is paralysed by the toxins. Humans can
also catch diseases such as Queensland Tick Typhus
from ticks.
How
do you remove a tick?
It
is recommended you wear a pair of latex gloves
while removing a tick. Using tweezers or a tick
remover (you can purchase these for a few dollars
from your veterinarian) firmly grasp the
tick's head, as close to the cat's skin as
possible. Be extremely careful not to squeeze the
body of the tick as this will inject more poison
& pathogens into the cat's system. You can
also kill the tick while it's still on the cat by
using an appropriate insecticide, such as
Frontline spray.
Disposing
of Ticks
Once
removed, save the tick by placing it in a jar of
methylated spirit or alcohol so you can take it to
your veterinarian for identification.
*
References
*
photos courtesy of Norbert
Fischer; BVSc MACVSc
(Norbert's page seems to have moved, so I am now linking to
Tick Alert, which Norbert
appears to be a part of. This is an incredibly informative site.
Neurotoxin
Info courtesy of Neuroscience
for Kids
Neurotoxin
Info courtesy of Washington
State University at Vancouver
|
