Module: 9

Entomology
Mary Aljaelen Dotillos-Quinsat, MD
Faculty, Department of Parasitology
Gullas College of Medicine
 Learning Objectives

• At the end of this lecture, students are expected to:

• Describe the general features of arthropods
• Explain the medical importance of arthropods
• Identify the difference between mechanical and biological carriers
• List the types of biological carriage
• Discuss the classification of arthropods
• List some of the important vector control measures
 Entomology

• Arthropods • Agents for disease transmission

• Biology of Arthropods • Mechanical carrier
• Development of arthropods • Biological carrier
• Importance of arthropods in parasitology
• Arthropods affect the health of man by
being:
• Direct agents for disease/discomfort
• Annoyance
• Entomophobia
• Envenomization
• Allergic reactions
• Dermatosis and dermatitis
 Entomology

• Classification of arthropods • Vector control measures:

• Class insect
• Mechanical methods
• Class arachnida
• Ecological methods
• Class crustacean
• Chemical methods
• Medical conditions related to • Biological methods
arthropods
• Genetic methods
• Fly related conditions
• Mosquito related conditions
• Flea related conditions
• Lice related conditions
• Bug related conditions
• Tick related conditions
• Mite related conditions
 Medical Entomology

• Medical entomology is a science, which deals with the study of

arthropods
• Members of the phylum arthropoda are the most numerous and
widely distributed of all animal groups
• Their medical importance lies in their ability to cause morbidity and
mortality
 Arthropods

• The arthropods include animals varying considerably in size and

shape but have fundamental features in common.
Generally all arthropods have the following characteristics in
common:
• They are bilaterally symmetrical
• Their bodies are divided into a number of rings or segments.
• They have jointed appendages, which may take the form of legs, antennae, or
mouthparts
• They have a hard chitinous exoskeleton (cuticle), which helps for the
protection and insertion of muscles
• The lateral section, joining the tergum and sternum (pleuron) is less heavily chitinized
and thus more flexible
• the major divisions or phyla which make up the animal kingdom,
Phylum Arthropoda is certainly one of the most important (85%)
• Bilaterally symmetrical invertebrate animals with segmented bodies,
jointed appendages, and hard outer coverings or exoskeletons
• No other animal group demonstrates such a great diversity in
structure, life cycle, and habits
• Some arthropods are parasitic, while most are non-parasitic
• Some prefer to live in highly organized and complex environments in
which each member contributes something to others in a symbiotic
relationship
• Some demonstrate little change in morphology throughout the
different life stages, while others pass through a complete
metamorphosis having egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages
 Metamorphosis

• Metamorphosis refers to the change in form or structure of an

arthropod that occurs during the period of development
• In these insects, the young is the exact replica of the adult differing
only in size
There are two types of metamorphoses:
• Gradual or incomplete metamorphosis
• In this type of metamorphosis, an arthropod undergoes three stages: egg,
nymph, and adult
• The young resembles the adult except for the smaller size and sexual
immaturity. Examples of arthropods exhibiting this include cockroaches,
grasshoppers, lice, and bugs
• Complete metamorphosis
• In this type of metamorphosis, an arthropod undergoes four stages: egg,
larva, pupa, and adult
• There is a great difference between the immature stages and the adults.
Examples of these are mosquitoes, flies, butterflies, moths, ants, bees, wasps,
fleas, and beetles
• Arthropods are provided with special mechanisms which they use
against their enemies: the chitinized exoskeleton
• primarily a nitrogenous polysaccharide which makes the integument
impervious to water
• appendages which may be lost and later regenerated
• hairs, scales or spines; and body fluids which may be used effectively for their
survival
 Classification of Arthropods

• Phylum Arthropoda comprises at

least 740,000 species
• The majority of medically
important arthropods can be
grouped into two classes:
Insecta and Arachnida
• Other classes, which are also
important, are Chilopoda,
Diplopoda, Crustacea, and
Pentastomida
External Anatomy
 External Anatomy

• The body of an insect is divided into three major regions: the head,
thorax, and abdomen

• In many insects, these parts are clearly well-differentiated, as in flies

and mosquitoes, whereas in some, they are less distinct as in fleas
• Class Insecta (flies, mosquitoes, bees, wasps, butterflies, bugs, etc.) is
considered the largest (70%)

• It also typifies the arthropod’s external and internal structures

• Class Insecta is the most important group of arthropods from the

medical viewpoint It includes many species that directly and
indirectly affect humans.
 HEAD
• The head bears the eyes, antennae,
and the mouthparts

• The antennae are located in the front

portion of the head between the eyes
• They are greatly modified, often
having characteristic shapes, and are
provided with chemoreceptors
• Two types of eyes occur in insects:
simple and compound
• Simple eyes or ocelli consist of single eye
units or facets
• Compound eyes are usually very large
and maybe round, oval, or kidney shaped
• Insects have an upper lip or labrum, a lower lip or labium, a pair of
maxillae or upper jaw, and a pair of mandibles or lower jaw
• The shapes and sizes of these structures vary according to the insects’
feeding habits
• There are four principal types of mouthparts:
• Chewing mouthparts (Cockroaches)
• Sponging mouthparts (Houseflies)
• Piercing-sucking mouthparts (mosquitoes)
• Chewing-lapping mouthparts (Honeybee)
 Thorax

• This is the second main body region which is connected to the head
by a membranous region, called the neck or cervix
• This part bears three segments, namely:
• Prothorax
• Mesothorax
• metathorax
• Each segment bears a pair of walking legs

• Wings, when present, are attached to the mesothorax and

metathorax
 WINGS
• Membranous extensions of the body
wall and consist of an upper and lower
layer
• These layers are supported by
reinforcing structures, which appear
as distinct lines called veins
• Wing veins running from the base to
the apex of the wings are called
longitudinal veins
• Cross veins connect the longitudinal
veins
• The arrangement and number of
these veins are important in the
classification of insects
• Areas in between veins are called cells

• Some veins may be closed

• Each vein contains a nerve cord, trachea, and hemolymph

• The leading edge is called the costa, and short subcostal veins are
numbered 1, 2, 3 and so on
 Leg
• The leg is divided into the coxa, trochanter,
femur, tibia, tarsus, and pretarsus

• The femur and tibia correspond to the human

thigh and shin

• tarsus has a function similar to foot

• The last tarsal segment usually terminates

into a pair of claws or pulvilli help the
insects in walking on smooth surfaces
 Abdomen

• The third body region, which bears the

spiracles and the external reproductive
organs, is made up of 11 segments

• Spiracles are the external openings of the

respiratory system, and some insects have a pair on
each abdominal segment

• The 8th and 9th segments bear the external sex

organs used for copulation in the male and serve as
an egg-laying device or ovipositor for the female

• Some bear a pair of finger-like processes

called cerci on the 11th segment which are
more conspicuous in females
Internal Anatomy
 Arthropods

• The exoskeleton is partitioned by

chitinous plates (scleritis) in
order to allow movement
• The dorsal and ventral sections,
the tergum, and sternum
respectively are heavily chitinized

• The lateral section, joining the

tergum and sternum (pleuron) is
less heavily chitinized and thus
more flexible
• They have a body cavity called
haemocele, which contains
haemolymph (blood and lymph)
that bathes internal organs

• Ecdysis or moulting is a
phenomenon characteristic of all
arthropods whereby the cuticle
is shed at regular intervals in
order to accommodate the
growing tissues
 Biology of Arthropods
Digestive system
• The alimentary canal comprises three
distinct regions: the foregut or
stomodium, the midgut or
mesenteron, and the hindgut or
proctodaeum:
• Foregut - extends from the mouth to the
proventriculus (muscular sac provided
with stony cuticular plates or teeth
serving for grinding and mixing of food.)
• Mid gut - this is the stomach;
physiologically the most active part of the
alimentary canal, being concerned with
digestive function
• Hind gut -consists of the ileum, colon,
and rectum and finally opens to the anus
 Biology of Arthropods
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
• The circulatory system of all arthropods is of
the “open” type
• fluid that circulates is not restricted to a
network of conducting vessels
• flows freely among the body organs
• A consequence of the open system is that
insects have only one extra cellular fluid,
hemolymph, in contrast to vertebrates which
have two such fluids, blood and lymph
• Through this system hemolymph is pumped
from the heart to the aorta then to the whole
body
• The circulatory system has no respiratory
function.
 Biology of Arthropods
Respiratory system
• In the vast majority of insects, respiration is
by means of internal air tubes known as
trachea
• These ramify through the organs of the body
and its appendages, the finest branches being
termed tracheolea
• The air generally enters the trachea through
paired, usually lateral openings termed
spiracles
• segmentally arranged along the thorax and
abdomen
• Serve as exit of air conducting branches from
the tracheal tube
• Respiratory spiracles serve as exit of air
conducting branches from the tracheal tube
Biology of Arthropods
Nervous system
• The many diverse activities of the
various systems of an insect are
coordinated by the nervous system
• This system is composed of elongated
cells, or neurons, which carry
information in the form of electrical
impulses from internal and external
sensory cells to appropriate effectors
• These consist of Nerve ganglia in the
head, ventral part of the body, which
later extends to body parts
Excretory System
• The function of the excretory system is to
maintain hemostasis
• elimination of metabolic wastes and excesses,
particularly nitrogenous ones, and the
regulation of salt and water
• Malpigian tubules
• are the major organs involved in filtration of
the hemolymph
• These tubules lie freely in the body cavity
(haemocele) and open to the junction
between the mid gut and the hindgut
• After joining the digestive tract, waste fluids
are excreted through the anus
• The hindgut (specially the rectum) is involved
in reabsorption of important ions and water.
Reproductive System
• Arthropods have separate sexes
• Male contains testes, vas
deference, seminal vesicle and
ejaculatory duct, which open by
aedeagus (penis)
• Female contains two ovaries,
oviduct, and uterus that opens
to the vagina
 Development of Arthropods

• The development of arthropods,

which is called metamorphosis,
is from egg to adult
• This development could be:
• Incomplete developmentfrom
the egg to nymph, which looks like
the adult

• Complete developmentextends
from the egg to larva, pupa that
later differentiate to the adult
arthropod
 Importance of Arthropods in Parasitology

Arthropods affect the health of man by being:

A. Direct agents for disease /discomfort

• The following effects may be seen by the direct effect of arthropods:
• Annoyance – comes from disruptive activities of insects, such as flying around
or landing on the head, and from feeding, possibly causing blood loss
• Entomophobia – is an irrational fear of insects
• One extreme form of entomophobia is delusory parasitosis, in which individuals become
convinced that they are infested with insects when no actual infestation exists
• This may cause undue alarm and anxiety, leading to unwarranted use of insecticides, and
in severe cases, requiring professional treatment
• Envenomization – is the introduction of a poison into the body of humans
and animals
• Arthropods may also inoculate poison to the host. E.g. Scorpion

• Allergic reactions – a hypersensitive response to insect proteins

• All of the mechanisms associated with envenomization can also cause exposure to
allergens
• In fact, human deaths from bee and wasp stings usually are associated with a
hypersensitive reaction rather than direct effect of a toxin

• Dermatosis and dermatitis – dermatosis is a disease of the skin and

dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin
• Both dermatosis and dermatitis can be caused by arthropod activities
B. Agents for diseases transmission
• Mechanical carrier
Here they lodge the disease causative agent without altering its
development or multiplication (house fly)

• Biological carrier
When arthropods become biological carriers for transmission of
disease
it means that certain stages in the life cycle of parasite takes
place in then body of the insect (Anopheles mosquitoes)
 Biological carrier
• Propagative- where there is multiplication of the parasite with no developmental
change
• Yellow fever virus in Aedes mosquito.
• Cyclopropagative – in this type both multiplication and developmental change
are going on
• Plasmodium species in Anopheles mosquito

• Cyclodevelopmental – here there is developmental change of the parasite but no

multiplication
• Wucherera bancrofiti in Culex mosquito

• Transovarian- when the pararasite passes to progeny arthropods through the ova
• Rickettsia typhi in ticks
 Classification of Arthropods

• There are three medically important classes of Arthropods:

1. Class Insecta-consists of mosquitoes, fleas, bugs, lice, flies

2. Class Arachnida-consists of ticks, mite and scorpion

3. Class Crustacea-consists of cyclops

Part II: Classification
 Class Insecta
• The general feature of this class includes:
• Division of body into head, thorax and abdomen.
• Possess one pair of antenna on the head.
• 3 pairs of legs, carried by thorax
• Wings may be present and could be one /two pairs
 Class Insecta
This class is divided into four orders:

A. Order Diptera
• this order consists of mosquitoes and
flies
• They have one pair of wing
• development is by complete
metamorphosis

B. Order Siphonaptera
• consists of fleas
• Arthropods in this order are wingless but
have strong leg to help them jump
• Their development is by complete
metamorphosis
C. Order Anoplura
• Is order consists of lice
• wingless and with short legs.
• Their development is by
incomplete metamorphosis

D. Order Hemiptera
• This order consists of bugs
• Bugs have rudimentary wings
• develop by incomplete
metamorphosis
 Class Arachnida

• Body divided into cephalothorax

(head and thorax fused) and
abdomen
• Possess 4 pairs of legs
• Wingless
• No antennae
• Undergo incomplete
metamorphosis
 3 Orders of Class Arachnida
A. Order Acarina
• This consists of Ticks and mites
• The adult tick or mite has 4 pairs
of legs and the Nymph 3 pairs of
legs

B. Order Araneida
• This consists of spiders

C. Order Scorpionida
• This order consists of scorpions
 Class Crustacia
• The general feature of this class
includes
• Body divided into cephalothorax
and abdomen
• 4 pairs of legs
• 2 pairs of antenna
• Wingless
• Most are aquatic

• This class includes the Cyclopes

 Medical Conditions related to Arthropods
A. FLY RELATED CONDITIONS
• Myiasis
• invasion of tissue of humans and other vertebrate animals with dipterous fly larva, which for
at least a period feed upon the living, necrotic or dead tissues of animals

• Houseflies can transmit a number of diseases to humans owing to their habits of visiting
almost indiscriminately feces and other unhygienic matter and people’s food

• Pathogens can be transmitted by three possible ways:

• By contaminated feet, body hairs and mouthparts of flies
• Flies frequently vomit on food during feeding this can lead to infection
• Probably the most important method of transmission is defecation, which often occurs on food

• Through the above mechanisms houseflies transmit a number of bacterial, viral, and
protozoal diseases, e.g. sand flies transmit leishmaniasis, tsetse flies transmit trypanosome
Medical Conditions related to Arthropods
 Medical Conditions related to Arthropods

C. FLEA RELATED CONDITIONS

• Fleas can be ectoparasites cause allergic dermatitis and are
intermediate hosts for certain bacteria like yersinia pestis and
Rickettsia typhi
• In tropical America and Africa the most troublesome flea is Tunga
penetrance, which is about 1 mm in length but after burrowing into
the skin, it may swell to 1 cm and cause extreme irritation
• Surgical removal is required
• Sometimes the condition may also be complicated by secondary
bacterial infection
Medical Conditions related to Arthropods
D. LICE RELATED CONDITIONS
• Lice are usually ectoparasites, and
they can live in different part of the
body
• Pediculus humanus capitis – head lice
• Pediculus humanus corporis – body lice
• Phitrius pubis – pubic /crab lice

• Lice are also responsible for

transmission of diseases such as
relapsing fever and epidemic typhus,
most commonly in the highlands of
Ethiopia.
 Medical Conditions related to Arthropods

E. BUG RELATED CONDITIONS

• Other than being ectoparasites and a nuisance to humans, bugs like Triatoma
(Kissing bug) are disease vector of Trypanasoma cruzi, which is seen in some
countries of Latin America

F. TICK RELATED CONDITIONS

• Ticks can cause mechanical injury to the skin
• They may sometimes produce toxins, which affect release of acetylcholine at
the neuromuscular junctions
• This in turn produces a progressive ascending paralysis also called ‘tick paralysis’
• Ticks also transmit diseases like francella and Rickettsial illnesse
 Medical Conditions related to Arthropods

G. MITE RELATED CONDITIONS

• A mite called Sarcoptes scabies causes itchy, popular eruptions in the
skin usually termed as scabies
• House dust mites either produce or concentrate potent allergens
commonly found in non-ventilated houses
 Vector Control Measures

1. Mechanical methods
• Use of bed nets, wire mesh

2. Ecological control
• Ecological control procedures involve the removal, destruction, modification,
or isolation of materials that might favor the survival of an insect pest by
affording food or making a site suitable for breeding and/ or dormancy
• Ex. Draining Marshy Areas
 Vector Control Measures
3. Chemical methods
• Deals with the use of natural or synthetic chemicals that directly cause the
death, repulsion, or attraction of insects
• Ex. Use of DDT

4. Biological methods
• Refers to the regulation of vector population using predators, like certain
species of fish, which feeds on larval stages of some arthropods, and
microbial agents
• There are several advantages in using biological control agents
• Unlike pesticides, biological control agents are safe to use and do not pose
any threat to the environment.
 Vector Control Measures

5. Genetic control
• Involves manipulation of the mechanisms of heredity
• In some research centers sterilized male mosquitoes are used in order for
them to compete with natural ones and thereby decreasing the new
generation of mosquitoes
Thank you and God bless
 Parasitology :
MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY
Mary Aljaelen Dotillos-Quinsat, MD
Faculty, Department of Parasitology
 Classification of Arthropods

• There are three medically important classes of Arthropods:

1. Class Insecta-consists of mosquitoes, fleas, bugs, lice, flies

2. Class Arachnida-consists of ticks, mite and scorpion

3. Class Crustacea-consists of cyclops

 Class Insecta

• Division of body into head, thorax

and abdomen.
• Possess one pair of antenna on
the head.
• 3 pairs of legs, carried by thorax
• Wings may be present and could
be one /two pairs
 Class insecta

• Order Diptera
• this order consists:
• Mosquitoes
• flies
• They have one pair of wing
• 3 pairs of legs
• Banded abdomen
• 1 pair of antenna
• Proboscis
• development is by complete
metamorphosis
 Order Diptera
• This order is characterized by the
presence of a single pair of wings
• The second pair is reduced to small
knob-like structures called halteres,
which are used during flight as
balancers
• There are three suborders of medical
importance:
• Suborder Nematocera- mosquitoes,
sandflies
• Suborder Brachycera- horsefly and
deerflies
• Suborder Cyclorrapha/ Orthorapha-
houseflies and ‘biting housefly’
 Suborder Nematocera

• Insects under this suborder possess a pair of thread-like antennae of

similar segments
• 11 to 15 segments for the long type of antennae
• longer than the head and thorax combined
• The mouthparts are adapted for sucking blood
 Family Cullicidae (Mosquitoes)

• only females bite, but both sexes feed

on nectar and juices
• The sexes can be easily differentiated
by looking at the antennae
• male has a hairy or plumose antenna
• female has pinnose antennae with less
hair
• Mosquitoes have scaly wings
• third vein of which is simple
• second and fourth veins are branched
• mouthparts belong to the piercing-
sucking type
• Mosquitoes have two compound eyes
→made up of many facets
• below the antennae is a pair of palps→
dilated or pointed at the tips

• thorax is slightly humped and is covered

dorsally and laterally with scales
• The abdomen is composed of 10 segments
but only the first 8 are visible
• The last abdominal segment of female
mosquitoes terminates in a small pair of cerci
• Males→ prominent pair of claspers
• Two major divisions of Family Culicidae:
• Anophelinae
• Culicinae

• Anophelines→ Anopheles mosquito

• Aedes, Culex, Mansonia, and Armigeres mosquitoes are culicines

 Mechanism of Bite reaction

• Some species bite during the day, while others hide and become
active at night, dusk or dawn
• The reaction to these bites may either be immediate or delayed or
sometimes both, depending on the frequency of contact
• Three general types of reactions:
• Hemorrhagic macule
• Delayed reaction papule
• Immediate reaction wheals
• Hemorrhagic macule
• punctum seen at the site of the bite→
may develop without symptoms of
irritation
• become darker and eventually disappear

• Delayed reaction papule

• observed from a few hours up to 2 weeks
after the bite
• there is swelling accompanied by intense
irritation
• Immediate reaction wheals
• appear within a few minutes of the
bite→ do not last long
• usually less than an hour
• these cause moderate irritation
 Family Simulidae
• “black flies”
• These are humpback dipterans measuring 1.5 to
4.0 mm long
• They are usually black in color→ but may
sometimes be gray
• short legs and short antennae
• mouthparts are short and relatively inconspicuous
• Only the females bite, though their mouthparts do
not penetrate the host’s deeper tissues
• These dipterans usually stay near vegetation→
intermediate stages breed in fast flowing streams
• The lesions produced are characterized by localized
swelling and inflammation, accompanied by an
intense irritation, which lasts for several weeks
 Family Ceratopogonidae
• Leptoconops, Cullicoides, midges, “niknik”
• These insects are small, about 1.5 to 5 mm long
• antennae are long, consisting of about 15
segments
• wings are spotted and covered with hairs
• mouthparts are short, relatively inconspicuous,
and are not projected forward
• Males do not take blood meals
• Females stay around vegetation, cow sheds,
muddy debris, and shaded trees
• Eggs are laid on the surface of mud, wet soil, cow
dung, and other habitats that are moist or partially
submerged in water
• Midges usually swarm over the head, biting the
face and neck, and exposed body parts. Lesions are
usually in the form of multiple vesicles, which
produce intense itching
 Family Psychodidae
• Phlebotomous, sandfly, mothfly
• These flies are small, about 2 to 5 mm
long
• body and wings are entirely covered
with hairs→ appearance of small
moths
• wings are lanceolate in shape and
have simple wing venation
• antennae have 12 to 16 segments
• legs are long and slender
• mouthparts are short and
inconspicuous
• Only the females bite, feeding at night
• They hide in dark corners during the day
• Usually attack the face and the neck→ producing vesicles or wheals
Intense itching, pain, heat and swelling→ a blue scar often remains
• Eggs require a moist environment with high humidity, such as holes in
the ground and leaf litters
 Suborder Brachycera

• Horseflies, deerflies
• The antennae are shorter than
the head and thorax
combined→ composed of three
segments
• The third segment is enlarged
and bears a terminal bristle
called the style
• Mouthparts belong to the
cutting-sponging type
 Family Tabanidae

• Tabanus, Chrysops
• They can be smaller than a housefly,
or they can be very large, measuring 5
to 25 mm
• Tabanus (horse fly) is uniformly black
but has whitish markings on the
thorax and abdomen
• wings are clear
• Chrysops (deer fly) is smaller than the
horse fly and has a more rounded
head
• middle part of its wing is patterned with
a brown coloration
• Males of these flies do not bite
• Eggs are deposited on the underside of leaves, twigs, stems, stones,
and rocks overhanging or adjacent to their larval habitat, where the
environment is moist
• Most species are aquatic or semi-aquatic
• Because of their mouthparts, these flies inflict very painful bites→
erythema and swelling
• Their attacks are usually persistent, producing multiple painful non-
pruritic lesions on exposed areas
 Suborder Cyclorrapha/ Orthorapha

• Houseflies, “biting housefly”, stomoxys

• The antennae consist of three segments
• third segment is enlarged and carries a
conspicuous bristle called the arista
• The mouthparts are of the sponging and
piercing types
• It has four brown-black longitudinal bands on
its thorax, and its antennae are of the aristate
type
• It breeds in moist, rotting, and fermenting
vegetable matter, such as grass, hay, or horse
manure
• Both males and females suck blood
• They are active at daytime and bite outdoors.
They inflict very painful bites
Class Insecta

• Order Siphonaptera
• consists of fleas
• Wingless
• strong leg to help them jump
• Mouth adapted for piercing skin
and sucking blood
• Highly modified combs on body and
setae and spines on limbs
• Their development is by complete
metamorphosis
• wingless insects measuring less than 4
mm→ usually l.4 to 2 mm in length
• The body is laterally compressed and
covered with spines which enable
them to move freely
• antennae are short, three-segmented,
club-shaped, and embedded in a deep
groove
• Legs are adapted for jumping→
allowing them to jump as far as 28 cm
vertically or 32 cm horizontally
• Both sexes feed on blood
• mouthparts are adapted for piercing and sucking
• Compound eyes are lacking
• Some species, however, possess degenerate eyes without distinct
facets, while others are completely blind
• In some species, a conspicuous row of spines or a “comb” is
present→ useful in differentiating fleas
• Common species:
• Ctenocephalides canis (dog flea)
• C. felis (cat flea)
• Pulex irritans (human flea)
• Xenopsylla cheopis (rat flea)

• Although Ctenocephalides preferably feed on dogs and cats, they can also bite
humans when their preferred hosts are not around
• Fleas remain on their hosts less constantly than lice do
• After blood feeding→ females lay their eggs on the fur of the hosts, in
dust, on debris, in floor cracks, and under rugs and carpets
• The larvae feed on organic debris→ Pupae emerge after 10 to 12 days
• As fleas suck blood from their hosts, they inject saliva to prevent the
host’s blood from clotting
• This secretion contains amino acids, peptides, ketones, low molecular
weight sugars, polyhydric alcohols, phenols, aldehydes, and
phosphates→ sensitivity in the host
 Class insecta

. Order Anoplura
• Is order consists of lice
• Vessel feeders or solenophages
• Dorsoventrally flattened
• Wingless
• with short legs
• Short antennae
• Ovoid head, 9 segment body
• Their development is by
incomplete metamorphosis
 Order Anoplura

• wingless permanent ectoparasites of

mammals
• measure 1.5 to 3 mm in length
• body is dorsoventrally flattened
• gray in color
• Lice are strictly host-specific
• Head lice and genital lice, for example→
seen only in humans
• They do not infest domestic household
pets and other animals
• Both species belong to the family
Pediculidae, having mouthparts
adapted for piercing-sucking
Pediculus humanus capitis
• head louse
• male measures 2 to 3 mm
• female 3 to 4 mm in length
• Its head is small compared to its body size
• It is narrow and pointed in front
• antennae with four to five segments
• Legs are of the clinging type and are of equal size
• It is found on the scalp
• Head lice infestation is very common in the Philippines
• Children are most commonly affected
• This condition is very much associated:
• warm weather

• Severe infestations may result in the hair becoming matted with eggs
• Itching is usually the predominant symptom→ injection of saliva on to
the skin
Phthirus pubis (genital louse, pubic/crab louse)
• crab-like body
• It is nearly broad as it is long and measures
about 1.5 to 2 mm
• The middle and hind legs are stouter than the
first pair
• Pubic lice infestation is more common in
adults rather than in children
• Transmission usually results from intimate
contact
• Ordinarily, the pubic louse confines its
activities to pubic hairs, but it may also be
found in other parts of the body where hair is
coarser, such as axillary hair, eyebrows, or
eyelashes
• Other lice include:
• Haematopinus (hog louse)
• Trichodectes canis (dog biting louse)
• Linognathus (cattle louse)
• Menopon (chicken louse)
• Columbicola (pigeon louse)
• These are lice of domestic animals, and they do not attack or infest
humans
• All lice have similar life cycle:
• adult lays eggs→ called nits
• These appear as white or gray oval bodies which are glued to the hair by the
head, or by the gonopod, as seen in pubic lice.
• The young resemble the adults, except in size
• They require at least 1 week to complete development
Class insecta
. Order Hemiptera
• This order consists of bugs
• Bugs have 2 pair ofrudimentary wings
• A pair of long antennae
• Have glands that secreted unpleasant
odor
• Mouth used for piercing and sucking
• Thorax is divided into 3 segments with
each pair of legs
• Abdomen has 8-9 segments
• develop by incomplete metamorphosis
• Cimex hemipterus is common in tropical climates
• Bed bugs inflict very irritating and itchy bites
• On examination, multiple bite lesions are found with erythematous
wheals of uniform size with red punctate centers that persist for many
days
• The skin condition caused by a Cimex bite is called cimicosis
• Bed bugs are generally nocturnal feeders
• The bug uses its beak-like proboscis→
with its mandibles and maxillae, to
pierce or puncture the skin of the host

• It feeds directly from the capillaries→

results in swelling and irritation
• It is reported that the amount of saliva
injected by the bed bug is around 0.16
μL. Which contains an anticoagulant
Class Arachnida
 Class Arachnida

General characteristics:
• Body divided into:
• cephalothorax (head and thorax fused)
• abdomen
• Possess 4 pairs of legs
• Wingless
• No antennae
• Undergo incomplete metamorphosis
 Class Arachnida
. Order Acarina
• This consists:
• Ticks
• Mites

• adult tick or mite has 4 pairs of

legs
• Nymph 3 pairs of legs
• No external segmentation of the
abdomen
• No antennae
 Order Acarina

• The majority of mites and ticks→ round or oval

• dorsoventrally depressed forms with the head, thorax, and abdomen
fused together, lacking visible segmentation
• The anterior portion is modified to form a capitulum, made up of:
• central hypostome
• paired chelicerae
• palpi, used for attachment and obtaining food
• Ticks are wingless and possess a single, oval body region that is relatively flat
(except when filled with blood)
• Adults and nymphs have eight legs
• larvae have only six legs
• ”Head" of a tick includes structures involved in feeding, together known as the
"capitulum."
• It consists of a pair of leg-like sensory structures known as "palps" that enable the
tick to detect an approaching host
• a pair of knife-like structures known as "chelicerae" that cut an opening in the
host skin
• single barbed structure known as a "hypostome" that enters this opening
• The hypostome becomes anchored in the host flesh when the tick takes a blood meal
Class Arachnida

• Order Scorpionida
• Consists of scorpion
• 4 pairs of legs
• Two pedipalps→ with chelae or
pincers
• Tail with venom-injecting barb
 Class Arachnida
• Order Araneida
• Consists of spiders
• Body is divided into 2:
• Cephalothorax
• Abdomen
• Connected by Pedicel

• 4 pairs of jointed legs

• No wings
• No antenna
• Pedipalps with no pincers
• Have the ability produce silk use to
make web for entrapping preys
• Possess venom
 Class Crustacia
• The general feature of this class
includes
• Body divided into cephalothorax
and abdomen
• 4 pairs of legs
• 2 pairs of antenna
• Wingless
• Most are aquatic organisms