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It is the
major vector of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, a rickettsial disease of man.
It is common in the Rocky Mountain states and in southwestern Canada, where
it is a vector of bovine anaplasmosis and canine babesiosis (blood parasites
of animals). The toxins injected as it feeds cause tick paralysis in humans
as well as animals.
This tick mates during feeding, after which the female
detaches from the host and deposits several thousand eggs over a period of a
month. Hatched seed ticks attach to small rodents, feed, detach and develop
into the nymphal stage. Nymphs seek shelter and are inactive until the
following spring, when they attach to another animal, feed, drop off and
molt into the adult stage. The adult stage overwinters and the following
spring they attach to a large animal, feed and start the life cycle over.
This requires 3 to 4 years. |
