Both fleas and ticks are external parasites belonging to the phylum Arthropoda. Both are hematophagous arthropods capable of parasitizing various animal species, including birds, mammals and reptiles. Their importance as parasitic species lies in the fact that they are not only capable of producing pathologies by themselves, but they can also act as vectors and reservoirs of multiple diseases.
If you want to know the main differences between fleas and ticks, keep reading this article on our site where we explain their characteristics and the importance they have as parasites of our domestic animals.
Common characteristics between fleas and ticks
As we have mentioned, both fleas and ticks belong to the phylum Arthropoda. The fact that both are arthropods means that they have a series of common characteristics:
- They have a chitinous exoskeleton: rigid in some areas and elastic in others.
- They have jointed appendages: some of which have specialized into sensory organs and other structures.
- They grow through molting or ecdysis: which involves periodic shedding of the cuticle in order to grow.
Both fleas and ticks adopted parasitic habits, since they needed to feed and protect themselves. Thus, they began to inhabit higher beings (birds, mammals and reptiles) and became hematophagous ectoparasites To adapt to parasitism, they had to develop attachment organs that would allow them to stay on hosts and feed on their blood. In the case of fleas, they developed lacinia, maxillae that allow them to pierce the integuments of their hosts. Ticks have developed the hypostome, a club-shaped mouthpart with backward-facing hooks, which prevents them from being removed from the skin of their hosts.
Both types of ectoparasites produce seasonal infestations Fleas tend to be more prevalent in geographic areas with high humidity and average temperatures. In the case of ticks, their population increases in the warm months (spring and summer) and begins to decline in autumn.
If you want to know more information about arthropod animals, don't hesitate to take a look at this article that we recommend.
Differences in the morphology of fleas and ticks
The fleas
Fleas are insects, specifically they are parasitic insects. As in all insects, its body is divided into three segments: head, thorax and abdomen. From these segments, a series of articulated appendages.
- The antennae and mouthparts emerge from the head: at the service of food.
- Three pairs of legs emerge from the thorax: the third pair is highly developed, which gives them a great jumping capacity of up to 30 cm.
- Appendages emerge from the abdomen at the service of reproduction: copulatory organs in males and ovipositor organs in females.
Although fleas are insects, they do not have wings (they are wingless), since they lost them during their evolution.
Ticks
Ticks, also known as ticks, are small arachnids. Adults have their body divided into two segments: the gnathosoma and the idiosoma.
- The gnathosoma is the oral apparatus: it contains a series of appendages (chelicerae and palps) to be able to feed.
- The idiosoma: forms the rest of the body, contains the locomotory appendages (4 pairs of legs) and the reproductive appendages (copulatory tubercles or suckers in males and the organ of Gené in females).
Differences in the biological cycle of fleas and ticks
Another of the differences between fleas and ticks that we have to pay attention to is the biological cycle. Fleas are holometabolous insects, which means that they carry out a complete metamorphosis Their biological cycle goes through the stages of egg, larva, pupa and adult The adult females lay their eggs on the parasitized animal, which fall to the ground after a few hours. From the eggs hatch the larvae, which evolve into pupae. Finally, they transform into adults that parasitize new hosts. It should be noted that only adult fleas are hematophagous and parasitic.
In the case of ticks, their biological cycle goes through the stages of egg, larva, nymph and adult The gravid female lays the egg in the soil, from which a larva emerges that goes up to the host. Depending on the genus of the tick, the different stages can develop in the same host or in different hosts, which in turn may or may not be of the same species. Regardless of the number of hosts involved in the biological cycle, adults will finally form and, after fertilization, the females will fall to the ground to oviposit, thus closing the cycle. Therefore, in the case of ticks, all evolutionary stages can be parasites.
If you're more curious about ticks, you can find out How Long a Tick Lives in this article on our site.
Differences in the specificity of fleas and ticks
Fleas are parasites very non-specific, which means that the same species of flea can parasitize different animal species when its usual host not available. The main species of fleas that parasitize our pets are Ctenocephalides felis, Ctenocephalides canis, Pulex irritans and Echidnophaga gallinacea.
Unlike fleas, in ticks the host specificity is also low, although somewhat higher than in fleas. Next, we highlight the main families and genera of ticks that parasitize our domestic animals:
- Family Ixodidae: they are called hard ticks because they have a dorsal shield that covers their entire back in males and in females just a part. The genera Ixodes, Rhipicephalus, Hyalomma, Dermacentor and Haemaphysalis stand out, known to be vectors of piroplasmosis (babesiosis and theileriosis). Here you can find more information about equine Piroplasmosis.
- Family Argasidae: they are called soft ticks since they lack a dorsal shield. The most important genera are the Ornithodoros genus (parasitizing mammals; in pigs it is highly relevant as it transmits African Swine Fever) and the Argas genus (parasitizing birds).
- Genus Dermannysus: it is a bird parasite, although in the absence of birds it can parasitize man. They are characterized by having a reddish color when they feed on blood.
- Genus Varroa: parasitizes bees, specifically the bee larvae found inside the brood cell.
Differences in treatment against fleas and ticks
In case of flea infestation, treat both the environment and the animals:
- Environment: If we suspect that we have fleas in our home, it is important to act quickly and efficiently. We must vacuum all corners of the house (rugs, carpets, upholstery, etc.) and wash all textile materials (clothes, sheets, etc.) at high temperature (60 ºC). Then a treatment must be applied using insecticide powders, aerosols, foggers or mechanical sprayers. You can find more information in this other post on How to remove fleas from home?
- Animals: Animals should be treated with an adulticide and an IGR (Insect Growth Regulator). The adulticide will act on the adult parasites, while the IGR will inhibit the development of the flea's chitin, breaking the cycle and preventing it from developing.
In the case of tick infestation, treatment may be approached using different strategies:
- Chemical control: using acaricide drugs. There are different active ingredients that are effective against ticks (pyrethrins, phenylpyrazoles, macrocyclic lactones and isoxazolines) and different forms of application (pipettes, collars, baths, pour-on, etc.). The active ingredient and the mode of administration will be selected based on the animal species. If you want to know how to put a pipette on a dog, do not hesitate to visit this article.
- Biological control: consists of the use of bacteria, fungi and nematodes, since they are natural enemies of ticks. They are effective against eggs, larvae and adults, although many are still in the experimental phase.
- Vacunas: Although most are in the experimental phase, there are already some vaccines to treat tick infestations, such as the one for to Boophilus microplus in cattle. These lines of research are important, since in the future they may become a real alternative for tick control.
We recommend that you read this other post on our site on How to remove ticks from home?
How to tell a flea from a tick?
If you find an external parasite in your pet's fur, but you don't know whether it is a flea or a tick, pay attention to the following points, as we bring you the main differences between flea and tick.
- Attend to their morphology: since there are important differences between both types of parasites. Fleas have a laterally flattened body and three pairs of legs, since they are insects. In contrast, ticks have a flattened body ventrally and have four pairs of legs, since they are arachnids.
- Pay attention to size: Fleas are 1.5-3mm in length. Ticks before feeding are usually about 3 mm long, but after feeding they can reach 1 cm.
- Warning if they jump or not:fleas have the ability to jump great distances, something that ticks are not capable of doing. So if you see tiny parasites jumping through your pet's fur, they probably have a flea infestation. On the contrary, if you find a parasite that remains attached to your pet's skin, it is probably a tick.
- Attend to their evolutionary stage: in fleas, only the adult specimens are parasites, while in ticks any evolutionary stage can be a parasite Therefore, in the case of tick infestation you can find from larvae and nymphs to adults.
- Look at the pet's skin: even if we don't see the parasites in our pet's hair, we can suspect that it has a flea infestation when we find droppings on your skin. To do this, we just have to moisten a cotton ball with water and pass it over the animal's hair. In this way the remains of digested blood will remain attached to the cotton.
Importance of fleas and ticks in animals
Fleas and ticks are ectoparasites that are of great importance in both domestic and wild animals, since:
- They produce pathogenic action directly: their bites give rise to primary lesions such as wheals or microabscesses, which can be used by flies to lay eggs and cause myiasis (infection by fly larvae). They can also give rise to secondary lesions such as alopecia, erythema, seborrhea, and pyoderma. In the chronic phase hyperkeratosis, lichenification and hyperpigmentation of the skin can occur. In addition, being hematophagous, they can produce significant anemia when the animals are highly parasitized.
- They can cause allergic reactions, as is the case of Allergic Dermatitis to Flea Bite (DAPP) that affects dogs and cats. They produce very itchy pictures because they produce a hypersensitivity reaction against an allergen in the flea's saliva. In cats, flea bites can also give rise to an allergic process called eosinophilic granuloma.
- They can act as vectors of bacteria, viruses and parasites: Being hematophagous arthropods, they are capable of transmitting pathogens from one animal to another. another as a result of their blood supply. Ticks can transmit pathogens such as Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Rickettsia, Borrelia, flavivirus or Babesia. Fleas can transmit pathogens such as Bartonella, Rickettsia, poxviruses, Dipylidium, and Acanthocheilonema. In their role as vectors, they can also transmit some very important human diseases such as Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis or tularemia.
- They can be reservoirs: they are a source of infection for some pathogens, such as ticks with Babesia and Theileria.
