A genus of soft ticks (family Argasidae), several species of which are vectors of pathogens of various relapsing fevers. They are characterized by a capitulum hidden below the hood and by disks and mamillae of the integument that are continuous from dorsal to ventral surfaces in a variety of patterns. [G. ornis (ornith-), bird, + doros, a leather bag]
- O. coriaceus a tick species common in the mountainous coastal areas of California; adults readily attack deer, cattle, and humans, and have an irritating, painful, sometimes toxic bite. Transmits epizootic bovine abortion to cattle. SYN: pajaroello.
- O. erraticus a species of tick the small variety of which is the vector of Borrelia crocidurae in Africa, the Near East, and Central Asia; the large variety is the vector of B. hispanica in the Spanish peninsula and adjacent north Africa.
- O. hermsi a tick species that is a rodent parasite and vector of relapsing fever spirochetes, such as Borrelia hermsii, in the western U.S. and Canada.
- O. lahorensis a species of tick that may transmit Borrelia persica, the agent of Persian relapsing fever.
- O. moubata complex a group of four tick species in Africa; the taxonomy and ecology of this complex is of great significance because its members are vectors of relapsing fever spirochetes; members of the complex include O. moubata (various hosts), O. compactus (tortoises), O. apertus (porcupines), and O. porcinus (warthogs); a domestic subspecies of O. porcinus, in turn, forms three strains that feed chiefly on humans, fowl, and swine.
- O. pappilipes the “Persian bug,” a tick species found in Central Asia and the Near East that transmits Borrelia persica, the pathogen in Iran of Persian relapsing fever.
- O. rudis a tick species that is an important vector of relapsing fever spirochetes in Central and South America; possibly another complex similar to the O. moubata complex.
- O. savigni a tick species transmitting Borrelia, an agent of relapsing fever of eastern Africa, southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and southwestern Asia.
- O. talajé a tick species found in Mexico and in Central and South America, where it feeds on wild rodents, domestic animals, and humans; it delivers a painful, irritating bite and is a vector of Borrelia mazzottii, a cause of relapsing fever.
- O. tholozani a species of tick that transmits Borrelia persica, an agent of relapsing fever in the Middle East and central Asia.
- O. turicata a species of tick that readily attacks humans and other animals in the southern portion of the U.S. and Mexico; it is a vector of Borrelia turicatae, an agent of relapsing fever; the bite is painful and irritating.
- O. venezuelensis a tick species that is the vector of Borrelia venezuelensis, agent of relapsing fever in Colombia, Venezuela, and mountainous parts of South America.
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Or·ni·thod·o·ros .ȯr-nə-'thäd-ə-rəs n a genus of ticks of the family Argasidae containing forms that act as carriers of relapsing fever as well as of Q fever
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n.
a genus of soft tick, a number of species of which are important in various parts of the world in the transmission of relapsing fever.
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Or·ni·thod·o·ros (or″nĭ-thodґə-rəs) [Gr. ornis, ornithos bird + doros bag] a genus of argasid ticks with species found in many parts of the world, parasitic on many different mammals and often serving as reservoirs and vectors of Borrelia species or other infectious agents. Medically important vector species include O. gurґneyi in Australia; O. asґperus, O. tartakovґskyi, O. tholozaґni, and O. verrucoґsus in Russia, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia; O. erraґticus in Spain and North Africa; O. hermґsii, O. parґkeri, O. ruґdis, O. talaґje, and O. turicaґta in Mexico, Central America, and the western United States; and O. moubaґta and O. saviґgnyi in parts of Africa and Asia. O. coriaґceus of the western United States and Mexico is the pajaroello tick, notorious for its painful bite owing to a toxin in its saliva.
Fully engorged Ornithodoros moubata.
Medical dictionary. 2011.