It's a very important topic on Environmental Hygiene and its a part of Community Health Nursing. Here is brief description on Arthropod. Its specially for Nursing Students.

1. PRESENTED BY
ANKITA ROY
TUTOR
SCHOOL OF NURSING
ASIA HEART FOUNDATION

3.  Invertebrates are animals without backbones.
Arthropods are an important group of
invertebrates.
 Some of them are helpful while others are
dangerous enemies, spoiling the crops, food
reserves and carries of diseases
 The diseases include malaria, filaria, dengue,
chikungunya, japanese encephalitis.

4.  The commonest and more familiar of all
insects which live close to man.
 The known name is Musca Domestica.

5.  The housefly is a typical insect.The body is
divided into 3 parts.-head, thorax and
abdomen.
 The head bears a proboscis with which it
sucks fluids. The thorax bears a pair of wings
dorsally, and three pair of legs.

7.  EGG- The female lays from about 120 to 150
eggs at one sitting in decaying organic matter
such as human and animal excreta. The time.
indian M. domestica and M. vicinia breed
profusely in human excreta. The eggs are
pearly white in colour and about 1mm
long.They can be readily seen by the naked
eye. The fly lays from 600 to 900 eggs during
her life.

8.  LARVA:- The larvae measure 1 to 2 mm in
length at birth . They are white , segmented
and footless with narrow anterior end,and a
broad posterior end. The larval period lasts
from 2 to 7 days, this stage may be
prolonged in cold weather.
 PUPA:- The pupa are darkbrown and barrel
shaped and measure about quarter of an
inch.The pupal stage in the tropics occupies 3
to 6 days.

9.  ADULT:- The complete life cycle from egg to
adult may take 5 to 6 days during summer in
india.but at other times it may take 8-20
days.

10.  Mechanical transmission- Houseflies are
exceptionally efficient mechanical spreaders of
disease. They transport microorganisms on their
feet and hairy legs. Pathogenic organisms, ova
and cysts have been recovered from the bodies
of the common housefly. Houseflies are therefore
called “porters of infection”.
 Vomit drop- The regurgitated stomach contents
or “ vomit drop” is a rich bacterial culture. By its
habit of frequent vomiting, the housefly infects
food and thereby transmits disease.

11.  Defecation- The excrement of housefly has
been found to contain numerous
microorganisms as well as cysts and ova of
intestinal parasites. By its habit of constant
defecation, the housefly spreads these
disease.

12.  Improve of environmental sanitation.
 Use of insecticides.
 Fly papers.
 Protection against flies.
 Health education.

13. INTRODUCTION:-
Sandflies are small insects, light or dark-brown in colour.
They are smaller than mosquitoes, measuring 1.5 to
2.5mm in length with their bodies and wings densely
clothed with hair.
The important species are:
 Phlebotomus argentipes
 Phlebotomus papatasii
 Phlebotomus sergenti

14. The body of sandfly is divided into head, thorax and abdomen.
1. HEAD- The head bears a pair of long,slender and hairy
antennae. Only the female bite, the males lives on
vegetables juices.
2. THORAX- The thorax bears a pair of winges and three pair
of legs.
3. ABDOMEN- The abdomen has 10 segments and its covered
with hair.
Sandflies may be distinguished from mosquitoes by the
following characteristics..
 Size:- Sandfly are smaller than the mosquitoes
 Wings:- The wings of the sandfly are upright and lanceolate
in shape.

15.  Legs:- The legs of the sandfly are longer compared with the size
of the body.
 Hairs:- Sandfly is a hairy insects.
LIFE HISTORY
The life history of the sandfly is characterised by complete
metamorphosis,having four stage: EGG, LARVA, PUPA AND ADULT
EGG- The eggs are laid in damp dark places in the cattle sheds and
poultry. The eggs are comparatively large with longitudinal wavy
lines on the outside. The eggs hatch within 7 days.
LARVA- The larva are hairy maggot with a distinct head , thorax
and abdomen. The larva feeds on decaying organic matter and
becomes a pupa in about 2 weeks.

16. PUPA- The pupal stage lasts for about 1 week.
ADULT- The average life of a sandfly is about 2 weeks.
HABITS
Sandflies are troublesome noctural pests. Their bite is irritating
and painful, while their presence is scarcely observed. They
infest dwellings during night, and take shelter during day in
holes and crevices in walls, holes in trees, dark rooms, stables
and store rooms. The female sandfly alone bite, as they require
a blood meal every third or fourth day for oviposition. Sandflies
are incapable of flying over long distances; they merely hop
about from one place to another place.

17.  Only the female sandflies bite and transmit disease. The
diseases transmitted are-
1. Kala-azar
2. Sandfly fever
3. Oriental sore.

18. There are many technique in the control of sandflies.
1. INSECTISIDES- The sandflies are easily controlled by DDT or
Lindane. A single application of 1 to 2 grams of DDT or 0.2
grams of Lindane per square meter of area has been found to
bevery effective in controlling sandflies.
2. SANITATION- Improvement of peri-domestic sanitation such
as removal of shrubs and vegetation within 50 meters of human
dwelling and cattle sheds should receive attention.

19.  INTRODUCTION:-
Lice eare small wingless ectoparasites of mammals and birt=ds.
They Bite severely and are annoying pesta. The lice that infest
man are of three kind:
Head louse( pediculosis capitis)
Body louse( pediculosis corporis)
public or crab louse( phthirus pubis)
Human lice occur in all parts of the world wherever standards of
hygiene are low , but people in colder climates are affected
more frequently than those in warmer regions. Infestation by
lice is called pediculosis

20. The head and body lice differ very little in structure except in
their habitat. The head lice inhabit the hairs of the scalp , and
the body lice occur mainly in the seams of clothing and on the
bodies of the hosts.
1. HEAD:- The head is pointed in front and bears a pair of 5
jointed antennae. The mouth parts are adapted for sucking
blood.
2. THORAX:- The thorax is a fused mass and is shaped
somewhat like a square. Three pairs of legs are attached
ventrally to the thorax. The legs are strongly developed and
are provided with claws which help the insects to cling to
the hair and clothing.
3. ABDOMEN:- The abdomen is elongated and consist of 9
segments. The last abdominal segment is pointed in the
case of males, and bilobed in the case of females.

21. There are three stages in the life history of lice: egg, larva, and
adult.
1.EGG- The eggs, called “ nits” are laid singly or in groups,
firmly attached to the hair or seams of clothing by a cementing
substance. The eggs are small , white ovoid bodies, pointed at
one end. A female lays up to 300 eggs, at the rate of 4 to 9
eggs a day. Under favourable conditions of temparature, the
eggs will hatch in 6 to 9 days. The eggs will not hatch if the
temperature is below 22 ͦc
2.LARVA- The larva looks very much like adult, except for its
smaller size. It feeds on the host and develops Into an adult
after passing through 3 moults.

23. 3.ADULT- The entire life cycle from the laying of an egg to
the appearance of the adult louse take about 15-17 days under
favourable conditions. Adult lice lives from 30-50 days.

24.  DIRECT CONTACT
Lice are disseminated by close contact with lousy or infested persons.
Overcrowding provides an excellent opportunity for the direct
transference of lice from one person to another. Children get easily
infested at school when their heads come together at work or play.
 INDIRECT CONTACT
Lice may also be acquired from clothing, bedding combs or brushes used
by lousy persons. Lice have been seen to be blown by puffs of wind from
heavily infested persons. Lice tends to leave the host whose temperature
rises above or falls below the normal.

25. The disease conditions are –
1. Epidemic typhus.
2. Relapsing fever.
3. Trench fever.
4. Dermatitis

26. The crab louse or pubic louse is generally found in the
pubic and perineal region, but at times it may occur in
the other parts of the body as well .It adheres close to
the skin, and its removal is a matter of difficulty. The
crab louse has a characteristic body from, and readily
recognized by its small size and square body, head
impacted on the thorax. powerful legs and claws. The
first pair of legs is slender. The pubic louse does not
carry diseases.

27. INSECTICIDAL CONTROL:- Insecticide appear to be the
only means at present for the control of the lice. There are
reports that lice have become resistant in many areas of 1
percent of DDT dust.The powder is applied to the hair,and after
24 hours, the hair washed.as same as used for body wash by
using of 10 percent of DDT dust treatment of choice.
PERSONAL HYGIENE:- By using of soap,shapoo in
daily life style can control the lice.Those women have
long hair they have to wash their hair frequently.

28. INTRODUCTION
Different kinds of fleas infest different animals. Those that
infest rats are called “rat fleas” . Similarly, there are cat fleas ,
dog fleas and human fleas. The rat fleas have acquired great
importantce,because they transmit the dreaded disease, plague.
The common fleas are
1. Xenopsylla cheopis
2. Xenopsylla astia
3. Xenopsylla brazilliensis

29. The body of flea is divided into head, thorax, and abdomen.
HEAD- The head is conical in shape and is attached to thorax
without neck . The head bear short , piercing mouth parts
which are conspicuous and project downwards from the
head.The mouth parts are adapted for piercing and sucking
blood.
THORAX- The thorax is composed of three segments –the
prothorax, mesothorax and metathorax. There is three pairs of
strong legs attached to the thorax. The flea has no wings.
ABDOMEN- The abdomen consists of 10 segments. The sexes
are easily distinguished. In the male there is a colied
structure,the penis, in the abdomen. In the female , there is
short stumpy structure called spermatheca in the posterior part
of abdomen.

30.  There are four stages in the life history of fleas:
egg, larva, pupa and adult.
EGG:- The eggs are small(0.5mm), ovoid and white in colour.
They are deposited among the hairs of the animal host or in
and near the nest or hunts of its host. A female may lay 300-
400 eggs in its life time- 2 to 6 or even more at a time . The
eggs hatch in 2 to 7 days, depending upon temperature.
LARVA:- The larvae are small , legless caterpillars,whitish in
color, and bear sparse long hair on their bodies. They are found
in the dust and debris, in on near the nests or lair of the host.
They feed on organic matter and the blood in the feaces of the
adult flea.The duration of the larval stage about 2 weeks.

31. PUPA:- The pupal stages lasts for 1 to 2 weeks.
ADULT:- The life cycle of the flea is complete in about 3-4
weeks. The flea lives normally for a month or so.

32.  Fleas are found on their normal hosts and in the
nests, burrows and lair of their hosts. They are also
found in the dwellings, on the ground , in cracks
and crevices, and under carpets. Both the sexes
bite and suck blood. They feed at frequent
intervals, usually once a day and sometimes more
often. Fleas cannot fly , but they are capable of
making vertical jumps of abou 4 inches from the
ground. Fleas are passively transported by their
hosts, transport vehicles, humans- on the person
or in the luggage and the movement of goods like
grain, raw cotton, gunny bags, rags and hides.

33. Fleas are known to transmit the following diseases
1.plague, 2. murine typhus
Mode of transmission: Fleas convey disease by
BITING: The chief method of transmission, in the
case of plague, is by the bite of hungry “blocked”
fleas.The flea borne disease are:-
1. Bubonic plague
2. Endemic typhus.

34.  INSECTICIDES:- Fleas are quickly controlled
by spraying 10 percent DDT dust or 5 percent
malathion dust. The insecticidal powder must
be dusted over rat runs, under carpets. The
dust must be also blown into rat holes with
the help of dust blowers.
 CONTROL OF RATS: When the rats are
controlled , fleas are also controlled.

35. INTRODUCTION:- Ticks are ectoparasites of
vertebrate animals. Sometimes they attack man and
transmit disease. Ticks are of 2 kinds-hard and soft

36.  The hard tick is so called because the dorsum
of its body is covered by a hard shield called
scutum. This is absent in soft ticks. The body
of a tick is oval in shape.There is no clear
division of the body into head, thorax and
abdomen. The adults have 4 pairs of legs.
Sexes are separate, the males are generally
smaller than females.Both sexes bite and
suck blood.

37.  It is so called because , it does not possess
the hard dorsal shield present in hard ticks.
The body does not show any division between
head, thorax and abdomen. The head is
situated ventrally , and is not seen from
above. This makes it easy to identify a soft
tick from a hard tick.

38.  There are 4 stages in the life history of both hard
and soft ticks – eggs, larva, nymph, and adult. The
entire life cycle from egg to adult takes about 2
months in the case of hard ticks, and from 9 to 10
months in the case of soft ticks. Ticks live for a
year or more.

39.  HARD TICK: Tick typhus, viral encephalitis,
haemorrhagic fever.
 SOFT TICK: Relapsing fever.

40.  1.INSECTICIDES: Ticks may be controlled by
spraying DDT, lindane or malathion at the
rate of 1 to 2 lbs per area.
 2. SANITATION: Cracks and crevices in ground,
particularly near buildings should be filled up.
 3. PROTECTION OF WORKERS: Exposed
workers should wear protective clothing. At the end
of day’s work, they should examine themselves for
ticks and remove promptly any ticks found on their
person.

41.  INTRODUCTION:
The itch mite is an extrmely small arthropod. Its just
visible to the naked eye measuring 0.4 mm in size.
The body of an itch mite. Is shaped like tortoise. It is
rounded above and flattened below. The itch mite
has 4 pairs of legs- the front 2 paires end in long
tubular processes known as “suckers”, the hind legs
end in long bristles.

42.  There are 4 stages in the life history of itch mite:
 EGG: The female burrows into the superficial layers
of the skin and lays eggs. The eggs hatch into
larvae in 3 to 4 days. A single female may lay up to
30 eggs at the rate of 2 to 3 per day.
 LARVA: This stage lasts for 3 days.
 NYMPH: This stage occupies 6 to 8 days.
 ADULT: The life cycle from egg to adult takes 10 to
15 days. The adult mite lives for 1 to 2 months.

43.  Scabies is a skin disease caused by itch mite. The
disease is characterised by terrible itching, which is
worse at night.
 The disease affects the hands and wrists mainly
and sometimes, the other parts of the body such as
axillae, elbows, buttocks, lower abdomen, feet and
ankles
 Scabies is the best controlled by treating all
members of the affected family. The patient is first
given a good scrub with soap and water, and then
one of the following medicaments may be applied
like Benzyl benzonzte, sulphur ointment 2 to 10 %

44.  INTRODUCTION
Rodents are part of man’s environment. Often , their
numbers exceed human population. By living in close
association with man, they not only causeveconomic
loss by damaging buildings, foodstuffs and other
commodities, but also act as sources of reservoirs of
some important communicable disease to man such
as plague.

45.  There are 2 main types of rodants- 1. domestic
and 2. wild
 DOMESTIC RODENTS: The well known domestic
rodents are Rattus rattus and Rattus norvegicus.
 WILD RODENTS: There are many species of wild
rodents. The one of particular importance in india
is Tateria indica, which is a natural reservoir of
plague.

46.  Rodents are associated with a number of disease.
These are- plague, rat-bite fever, leptospirosis,
trichinosis, murine typhus, salmonellosis, amoebic
dysentry etc.
 Some of the above disease are transmitted directly
through rat-bite. Some through rat fleas.

47.  TRAPPING:- Trapping is an ancient device for
capturing rats. The captured rats must be destroyed;
this is usually done by immersing the trap in water.To
be effective , it must be done on a community basis.
 RAT POISONS AND RODENTICIDES:-There are
many rat poisons. The commonly used ones in this
country are berium carbonate and zinc phosphide.
1. BERIUM CARBONATE : Baits are prepared by mixing 4
parts of wheat or rice flour, and one part of barium
carbonate. And this placed in the rat hole by round
shape.and this pills killed the rat with in 10-48 hours.

48. 2. Zinc phosphate: this is used in the ratio of 1 part
of zinc phosphide to 10 parts of wheat flour. These
pills are very poisonous. Rat are kiilled in about 3
hours.
 FUMIGATION:- Cyanogas is extensively used for
the fumigation of rat burrows. About 2
ounces(55gms) of the chemical is pumped into
each rat burrow using a special “foot pump”. The
chemical on contact with moisture gives off
hydrogen cyanide gas which kills both rat and rat
fleas.

49.  IMPROVEMENT OF SANITATION:- Rats require
three things- food, water and shelter, if these are
denied, rats will naturally be eliminated. In other
words improvement of environmental sanitation is
essential for the permanent control of rats and
mice.these measures mainly comprises with
1. Proper storage of food stuffs
2. Construction of rat-proof buildings, godowns
and warehouses.
3. Proper collection and disposal of garbage
4. Elimination of rat burrows by blocking them with
concrete.