ABSTRACT
Objective: Otoacariasis is the presence of ticks and mites in the ear canals of humans or animals, and particularly common in rural areas. This study aimed to present the clinical characteristics of patients that presented with ticks in their ear canal. Methods: The study was conducted with a total of 425 patients with 527 ticks in their ear canal at the Mus Malazgirt State Hospital Ear-Nose-Throat Clinic between June 2019 and June 2020. The removed ticks were examined at the parasitology laboratory of Van Yüzüncü Yil University. Results: Of the 425 cases included in the study, 72% (n=306) were female and 28% (n=119) were male (mean age 40±20, minimum-maximum: 4 months-81 years). A total of 527 ticks were removed in the one-year period. Three-hundred-and-fifty-one patients had adult or nymph ticks, and 74 patients had a larval form of the tick. Of the patients with adult or nymph tick, foreign body sensation was the dominant symptom in 68.7% (n=242), whereas pain was the dominant symptom in 62% (n=46) of those with larval tick. In the comparison between groups, foreign body sensation was statistically significantly higher in the adult tick group, and pain was higher in the larval tick group (p<0.001). There were no systemic diseases related to the ticks in any of the cases. Conclusion: Ticks in the ear is endemic in Eastern Anatolia and poses a public health problem. Tick infestations could be minimized with various precautions and educating the general public on preventive methods. Our study is the largest series in the literature on cases with ear ticks.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) and fleas (Siphonaptera) are the major vectors of pathogens threatening animals and human healths. The aim of our study was to detect the infestation rates of East Hedgehogs (Erinaceus concolor) with ticks and fleas in Van Province, eastern region of Turkey. METHODS: We examined fleas and ticks infestation patterns in 21 hedgehogs, collected from three suburbs with the greater of number gardens. In order to estimate flea and tick infestation of hedgehogs, we immobilized the ectoparasites by treatment the body with a insecticide trichlorphon (Neguvon®-Bayer). RESULTS: On the hedgehogs, 60 ixodid ticks and 125 fleas were detected. All of the ixodid ticks were Rhipicephalus turanicus and all of the fleas were Archaeopsylla erinacei. Infestation rate for ticks and fleas was detected 66.66 % and 100 %, respectively. CONCLUSION: We detected ticks (R. turanicus) and fleas (A. erinacei) in hedgehogs at fairly high rates. Since many ticks and fleas species may harbor on hedgehogs and transmit some tick-borne and flea-borne patogens, this results are the important in terms of veterinary and public health.
