Soft ticks have a leathery or wrinkled appearance because they lack a scutum.
Soft ticks are covered by a leathery, highly folded skin, granulated in appearance.
Health-care providers should consider TBRF in the differential diagnosis of febrile patients with potential exposure to
soft ticks. Penicillins or tetracyclines are the antibiotic treatment of choice, although cephalosporins, erythromycin, or chloramphenicol also can be used (4,5).
erraticus ticks, previously believed to be the only
soft tick species in this region.
While there are over 800 species of ticks that can be found throughout the world, (https://www.medicinenet.com/ticks/article.htm#what_are_tick_bite_symptoms_and_signs) only two families of ticks are known to transmit diseases to humans -Ixodidae or hard ticks and Argasidae or
soft ticks. While a majority of individuals who get tick bites develop no symptoms, these can still be dangerous and even deadly.
In addition,
soft ticks can live up to 10 years; this long lifespan means that once a cabin or building is infested, it can remain a source of human infection for years unless steps are taken to find and remove rodent infestations and eradicate the ticks.
African Swine Fever causes a lethal haemorraghic fever in domestic pigs, warthogs, bush pigs, and
soft ticks which usually becomes the disease vector.
The difference between hard and
soft ticks was kept in mind as mentioned by Urquhart et al.
Lyme borreliosis is transmitted by hard ticks (Ixodes species); and RFB are transmitted by the same hard ticks that transmit Lyme disease as well as
soft ticks and body lice.
The same percentage of respondents also identified hard tick with that of
soft ticks infesting cattle.