Giant tick from the tropics wintered for the first time in Germany

For the first Time, Hyalomma have wintered-ticks from Africa and southern Europe, proven in Germany. It cropped up tick after the recent hot days, equal to six, the spider-like Giant, five-piece on a horse farm on the lower Rhine, and on a horse in lower Saxony, divided the University of Hohenheim (Stuttgart) and the Munich-based Institute for Microbiology of the German armed forces on Tuesday.

“After the first Evidence of this year, we have to assume that these animals were able to spend the winter with us in Germany,” said Hohenheim in Parasitology login and tick expert, Ute Mackenstedt. Hibernate means, but not necessarily that the counting of the mites animals already in the home are Japanese.

Great hull and striped legs

The Hyalomma ticks are from the arid and semi – arid areas of Africa, Asia and southern Europe – from Spain to Italy to Turkey. Of the local ticks, such as the Common wood tick, one can distinguish them easily: they are up to two inches in length, much larger and have a striking striped legs.

The Hyalomma tick (R) in comparison to the tick species Common wood tick, which is widely used in Germany.

So far, Hyalomma were transported ticks with migratory birds to Germany, there you could spread, according to scientists in this year. This year’s findings are very been early reported. “If one back-calculates the development cycle, you would not have to drag a time to be, as the birds were not there.”

Hyalomma ticks since 2017 in Germany

The Hyalomma ticks can transfer dangerous pathogens, including the Virus that causes the Crimean Congo fever, which may be associated with severe bleeding. According to the Robert Koch-Institute (Berlin) are Hyalomma detected ticks since 2017 in Germany.

In the past year, a total of 19 specimens were found in eight länder (Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, Brandenburg, Berlin and Schleswig-Holstein). According to the Institute, none of these tick infection wore pathogens such as, for example, the Crimean-Congo Virus.

“Remember you when running on them.”

In 2018, two species of the genus Hyalomma have been identified in Germany: H. marginatum and H. rufipes. So far, has not yet been determined for all of the now discovered tick the type.

More dominant is the so-called wood tick remains, in any case, as a native tick species, such as Mackenstedt said. The transmitted pathogens can cause Lyme disease and TBE (tick-borne encephalitis). During the normal ticks are not the views easy to as soon as she claws at the human body, feels the tick of the man the attack of the Hyalomma, says expert Mackenstedt: “it is much larger. The notice you when running on them.”