Brown dog tick

Brown dog tick
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Subclass:	Acari
Order:	Parasitiformis
Family:	Ixodidae
Genus:	Rhipicephalus
Species:	R. sanguineus
Binomial name
Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille, 1806)
Synonyms
Boophilus dugesi Dönitz, 1907 Eurhipicephalus sanguineus Stephens & Christophers, 1908 Ixodes dugesi Gervais, 1844 Ixodes hexagonus sanguineus Séguy, 1935 Ixodes linnaei Audouin, 1826 Ixodes plumbeus Dugès, 1834 (misapplied name) Ixodes sanguineus Latreille, 1806 Rhipicephalus beccarii Pavesi, 1883 Rhipicephalus bhamensis Supino, 1897 (ambiguous synonym) Rhipicephalus breviceps Warburton, 1910 Rhipicephalus brevicollis Neumann, 1897 Rhipicephalus carinatus Frauenfeld, 1867 Rhipicephalus dugesi Neumann, 1911 (misapplied name) Rhipicephalus flavus Supino, 1897 (ambiguous synonym) Rhipicephalus limbatus Koch, 1844 Rhipicephalus linnei Koch, 1844 (misapplied name) Rhipicephalus macropis Schulze, 1936 Rhipicephalus rubicundus Frauenfeld, 1867 Rhipicephalus rutilus Koch, 1844 Rhipicephalus sanguineus brevicollis Neumann, 1904 Rhipicephalus sanguineus sanguineus Neumann, 1911 Rhipicephalus siculus Koch, 1844 Rhipicephalus stigmaticus Gerstäcker, 1873 Rhipicephalus texanus Banks, 1908 Rhipicephalus (Eurhipicephalus) sanguineus Neumann, 1904 Rhipicephalus (Eurhipicephalus) sanguineus brevicollis Neumann, 1904 Rhipicephalus (Rhipicephalus) sanguineus Santos Dias, 1955 Rhipicephalus (Rhipicephalus) sanguineus sanguineus Santos Dias, 1955

The brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus), commonly called kennel tick, or pan-tropical dog tick, is a species of tick which is found worldwide, but more commonly in warmer climates. This species is unusual among ticks in that its entire life cycle can be completed indoors.

Rhipicephalus sanguineus will feed on a wide variety of mammals, but dogs are the preferred host in the U.S., and the population can reach pest proportions in houses and kennels.

R. sanguineus is one of the most important vectors of diseases in dogs worldwide. In the United States, R. sanguineus is a vector of the diseases in dogs: canine ehrlichiosis (Ehrlichia canis) and canine babesiosis (Babesia canis). In dogs, symptoms of canine ehrlichiosis include lameness and fever; those for babesiosis include fever, anorexia and anemia. R. sanguineus has not been shown to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease in humans. In parts of Europe, Asia and Africa, it is a vector of Rickettsia conorii, known locally as Mediterranean spotted fever, boutenneuse fever, or tick typhus.

R. sanguineus can also transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever in humans in the southwestern United States.

The best management strategy is prevention of infestations in the house or kennel. In addition, the earlier the infestation is discovered, the easier it is to control. Regular grooming and inspection of pets is essential to management, especially when dogs have been quartered or have interacted with other dogs.

Cosmopolitan species, can be found in Benin, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, French Guiana, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Martinique, Mauritania, Mexico, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands (U.S.), Zambia, Zimbabwe.

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Wikipedia