When talking about ticks, people most often imagine small blood-sucking insects that are removed from clothing or dog hair after a walk in nature. Some are also familiar with the microscopic invisible representatives of this detachment: the scabies mite or the causative agent of demodicosis. But there is another group of such insects that few city dwellers are familiar with, but nevertheless they also harm humans. These are gamasid mites, parasitizing mainly on insects, rodents or birds. With a large distribution of them, they can attack a person. The bites of these parasites cause serious trouble and can lead to infectious diseases.
Gamas mites: general characteristics
These small insects of the order of arachnids live everywhere. They are unpretentious and omnivorous. Most representatives of these ticks are predators. They live in the soil, cracks in the bark, under leaves, in the silt and crevices of buildings. Most often, gamasid mites eat small invertebrates, larvae, worms, and decomposed organic debris. There are many of them in nature, and most do not cause any trouble to a person.
But some gamasid mites have adapted to parasitizing onlarge insects and even vertebrates. Now several such species have been studied: mouse, rat and chicken. As can be seen from the names, they live mainly in rural areas, but can also be found in city apartments, especially on the first and last floors. In this case, they attack domestic animals and humans, feeding on their blood.
What do gamasid mites look like? Their photo is hardly familiar even to those people who suffered from their bites. The fact is that these insects are very small - from 0.2 to 4 mm, and their color is yellowish or brown. Therefore, it is very difficult to notice them. These mites are blood-sucking insects, but they do not live on the skin of humans or animals.
Where do these insects live
Gamasid mites in an apartment can appear in different ways: from pet hair, from mice and rats, they get to the top floor from pigeons nesting under the roof. The most common are three types of these parasites, which cause trouble with their neighborhood.
- Mouse mites live on house mice, but can also bite humans. They pose a danger only with a large number of rodents. Most often found in rural areas or on the first floors of old city houses.
- Rat gamasid mites are more common. They live on rats, house mice and other rodents. Often attack cats and dogs, as well as humans. An animal can bring parasites on its fur, and they will multiply by settling behind baseboards, in floor crevices, or under furniture.
- Chickenticks are dangerous mainly for poultry. In rural areas, poultry farmers often suffer from them, since chickens rush less from multiple bites and may die. Very rarely, such types of parasites appear in the city: from pigeons, crows or other birds. Once in human housing, chicken mites can also feed on human blood.
What harm do these ticks bring to a person
Multiple bites of these arthropods cause an allergic reaction: severe itching and skin irritation. This disease is called dermanissiosis or tick-borne dermatitis. When combing, the likelihood of infection and the development of severe inflammation is high. But, besides this, gamasid mites are carriers of dangerous infectious diseases. When they bite, they can infect a person:
- vesicular rickettsiosis;
- typhus;
- plague;
- borreliosis;
- tularemia.
All these diseases are very difficult and without timely treatment can be fatal.
Gamasid mites bites
They cause tick-borne dermatitis in humans, which is called gamazoidosis. These mites are not poisonous, but they inject a special protein when they bite, which causes skin irritation and itching. Traces are kept for about 3 weeks, causing discomfort to a person. Due to severe itching, such bites can be confused with scabies, therefore, before using medications, you need to correctly diagnose. After all, drugs againstscabies will be useless in case of bites of gamasid mites. How to treat tick-borne dermatosis:
- First you need to remove all ticks from the body, taking a hot shower, and clothes. It is also desirable to process the premises and all pets living in it.
- Then it is recommended to treat the skin with a special antiparasitic ointment, for example, chamois. But it is better if the drug is recommended by a doctor.
- To relieve itching, antihistamines are used, and externally - hormonal ointments, for example, Prednisolone.
Gamas mites: how to get rid of
If parasites are found indoors or if there are signs of tick-borne dermatitis in people and animals, it is necessary to carry out special treatment: desacarization and deratization.
- To prevent rats and mice from entering the premises, all cracks must be sealed.
- Treatment with special liquid insecticides and acaricides is carried out mainly in those places where rodents most often penetrate: in the bathroom and in the kitchen. Most of all, such drugs are effective at temperatures above 20 degrees.
- Be sure to treat the bedding of pets and the places where they like to be most often. And the dog or cat itself must be washed with flea shampoo.
- If chicken mites have settled in the room, you need to get rid of bird nests under the roof. If a parrot lives in an apartment, it is important to carefully process its cage.
Measures to prevent the appearance of parasites
This is especially important for people living in rural areas. It is necessary to regularly treat the chicken coop with special powdered acaricides and prevent rodents from entering the premises. In urban areas, gamasid mites are less common, but you still need to know how to protect yourself from them. To do this, you need to follow the rules of hygiene, especially after visiting the forested area, keep pets and their place to sleep clean. Regularly it is necessary to carry out treatment with special flea shampoos. It is necessary to prevent the penetration of rodents into the premises, which can be carriers of ticks. To do this, you need to close up all the cracks and make sure that new ones do not appear.
