Microbiology & infectious diseases
Parasites-cutaneous / subcutaneous / soft tissue
Tick (Hyalomma)
Author: Nat Pernick, M.D.
Last author update: 1 October 2018
Last staff update: 7 March 2024
Copyright: 2018-2024, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
PubMed Search: Tick Hyalomma
See Also: Tick (Ixodes)
Table of Contents
Definition / general | Terminology | Epidemiology | Etiology | Diagnosis | Case reports | Clinical images | Gross description | Gross images | Differential diagnosisCite this page: Pernick N. Tick (Hyalomma). PathologyOutlines.com website. https://www.pathologyoutlines.com/topic/parasitologytickhyalomma.html. Accessed December 2nd, 2024.
Definition / general
- One of the most medically important ticks in the Old World (Pritt: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites Blog - Answer to Case 506 [Accessed 10 October 2018])
Terminology
- Species include Hyalomma marginatum (Mediterranean Hyalomma), H. trucantum, H. asiaticum, H. excavatum, H. aegyptium, H. scupense and H. rufipes (Pritt: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites Blog - Answer to Case 506 [Accessed 10 October 2018])
Epidemiology
- Found in many parts of North Africa, South Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe (Pritt: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites Blog - Answer to Case 506 [Accessed 10 October 2018])
- Not endemic to North America but there have been cases of imported Hyalomma species on humans, animals and animal products
Etiology
- Vectors for several important disease agents, including Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, several Rickettsia spp., Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Coxiella burnetii and possibly Rift Valley fever virus (Pritt: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites Blog - Answer to Case 506 [Accessed 10 October 2018])
- Have been implicated in human tick paralysis
- Both female and male ticks bite humans and can transmit pathogens
- Compared to Ixodes ticks which climb vegetation and wait for a host to walk by, Hyalomma actively seek out their hosts (similar to Amblyommma)
Diagnosis
- Identifying species can be tricky due to genetic morphological variations (Pritt: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites Blog - Answer to Case 506 [Accessed 10 October 2018])
- Hyalomma might be misidentified as Amblyomma when using keys for North American ticks
- Hyalomma can best be separated from Amblyomma by having festoons of varying size, an inornate dorsal shield (scutum) and spurs on the coxae I roughly equal in length
Case reports
- 59 year old man returned from Ethiopia with tick attached to lower back (Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2015;6:152)
- Elderly man returned from Tanzania and had arthropod removed (Pritt: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites Blog - Case of the Week 506 [Accessed 10 October 2018])
Clinical images
Images hosted on other servers:
Skin lesion at bite site
Gross description
- Festoons of varying size, an inornate dorsal shield (scutum) and spurs on the coxae I roughly equal in length (Pritt: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites Blog - Answer to Case 506 [Accessed 10 October 2018])
- Many (but not all) have a striking band pattern on their legs
Gross images
Images hosted on other servers:
Various images
Dorsal image of male
Ventral image of male
Differential diagnosis
- Amblyomma: Hyalomma can best be separated from Amblyomma by having festoons of varying size, an inornate dorsal shield (scutum) and spurs on the coxae I roughly equal in length (Pritt: Creepy Dreadful Wonderful Parasites Blog - Answer to Case 506 [Accessed 10 October 2018])
