Hyalomma

HYALOMMA, a genus of ticks of the superfamily Ixodoidea, family Ixodidae. The body is oval with long palpi and eyes; males have one or two pairs of anal shields and two postanal tubercles. They parasitize on large ruminants, camels, horses, donkeys, dogs, sheep, pigs, and other animals; they may attack humans. Larvae parasitize on small mammals. Larvae of H. aegypticum molt on the same host after 4-15 days. Nymphs drop off the host 3-6 weeks after emerging from the larvae. Adult ticks can fast for up to two years. Females remain on the host for 6-8 days; after feeding on blood, they increase to 2-2.5 cm in length, which is the maximum size for ticks in the USSR. H. aegypticum lives in Crimea, the Caucasus, and Turkestan. In humans, it can cause local inflammation (sometimes of an erysipelas-like nature) and lymphangitis; it is a cause of lameness in cattle when it attaches between the hooves; it can also cause skin ulcers in cattle. The involvement of H. in the spread of bovine piroplasmosis has not been experimentally proven. Hyalomma syriacum lives on tortoises.