Who besides ticks can bite? - briefly
Many arthropods and a few vertebrates can bite, such as mosquitoes, fleas, mites, bed bugs, leeches, and certain snakes. These bites may transmit pathogens or cause irritation.
Who besides ticks can bite? - in detail
Various arthropods, insects, and some vertebrates are capable of delivering bites that may cause medical concern.
- Mosquitoes: Female specimens inject saliva containing anticoagulants while feeding on blood, potentially transmitting viruses such as dengue, Zika, and malaria parasites.
- Fleas: Adapted for rapid jumps, they puncture skin to ingest blood, serving as vectors for plague bacteria and tapeworms.
- Mites: Species like Sarcoptes scabiei burrow into the epidermis, causing intense itching and secondary infection; Dermatophagoides (dust mites) may bite under certain conditions.
- Lice: Head, body, and pubic lice attach to hair shafts and bite to feed, spreading bacterial infections and causing dermatitis.
- Sandflies: Small flies of the Phlebotominae subfamily deliver saliva that can transmit leishmaniasis parasites.
- Black flies: Their mouthparts pierce skin to obtain blood, acting as vectors for river blindness (onchocerciasis).
- Horseflies and deer flies: Possess cutting mouthparts that lacerate tissue, leading to painful wounds and possible bacterial contamination.
- Botflies: Larvae develop subcutaneously after adult flies deposit eggs on the host; infestation results in painful nodules.
- Spiders: Certain species (e.g., Latrodectus spp., Loxosceles spp.) inject venom through fangs, causing systemic symptoms or necrotic lesions.
- Centipedes: Large tropical species can bite with toxic forcipules, producing swelling and localized pain.
- Beetles: Some ground beetles and rove beetles bite when handled, delivering a mild irritant.
- Leeches: Freshwater leeches attach to skin, secrete anticoagulant enzymes, and feed on blood, occasionally causing prolonged bleeding.
- Some mammals: Small carnivores such as feral cats and dogs may bite during defensive encounters, introducing bacterial flora into wounds.
Each of these organisms employs specialized anatomical structures—proboscises, mandibles, fangs, or mouthparts—to breach the skin barrier. Their bites can introduce saliva, venom, or pathogens, resulting in local inflammation, systemic disease, or secondary infections. Prevention relies on protective clothing, insect repellents, environmental control, and prompt wound care.