**Dairy Cattle Mites** refers to several species of parasitic mites that infest cattle, causing various conditions known as **mange** or **scabies**. These external parasites feed on skin tissue or suck blood and lymph, leading to intense irritation, itching, hair loss, reduced milk production, and decreased weight gain. Infestations are often most severe in the winter months when cattle are housed in close quarters and their immune systems may be stressed.
Taxonomy and Classification
Cattle mites belong to the class Arachnida, subclass Acari. The most significant genera include:
- ***Sarcoptes***: Causes **Sarcoptic Mange** (burrowing mites).
- ***Psoroptes***: Causes **Psoroptic Mange** (surface-feeding mites).
- ***Chorioptes***: Causes **Chorioptic Mange** (surface-feeding mites, often called “barn itch”).
These mites are highly host-specific, meaning mites from cattle rarely transfer to humans or other livestock species. They undergo simple metamorphosis.
Physical Description
Mites are microscopic to very tiny (under 1 mm), requiring magnification for identification. They are generally translucent or whitish, oval-shaped, and possess four pairs of legs. They are distinguished by their size, body shape, and the length and arrangement of the stalked suckers on their legs (e.g., *Psoroptes* have long stalks, *Chorioptes* have short, broad stalks).
**Sarcoptic Mites** are round and burrow deep into the skin, while **Psoroptic and Chorioptic Mites** are slightly larger and feed on the surface or at the base of the hair.
Distribution and Habitat
Cattle mites are distributed globally. Their habitat is the skin surface of the host animal, often concentrating in specific areas:
- ***Sarcoptes***: Deep folds of skin, around the tail, neck, and scrotum.
- ***Psoroptes***: Thick hair regions, back, neck, and tail-head.
- ***Chorioptes***: The lower extremities, tail, udder, and perineum.
Infestation spreads quickly through direct contact between animals and through contaminated facilities, such as scratching posts or shared bedding.
Behavior and Life Cycle
The entire life cycle of cattle mites takes place on the host, usually lasting 10–25 days. They feed and reproduce continuously. The female lays eggs, which hatch into larvae, then develop through several nymphal stages before maturing into adults. The mites cause intense irritation, prompting the cattle to rub, lick, or scratch themselves constantly, which in turn spreads the mites and causes severe skin damage.
Mite populations often peak in late winter and early spring, before rapidly declining as the weather warms and cattle are moved outdoors.
Feeding and Damage
Infestation, or mange, causes significant animal welfare and economic damage:
- **Skin Damage:** Severe itching (**pruritus**), hair loss (**alopecia**), thickened and crusty skin, and secondary bacterial infections from excessive scratching.
- **Production Loss:** Stress and constant irritation reduce feed intake and rest, leading to decreased milk production (up to 25% loss) and poor weight gain.
- **Contagion:** Some forms of mange (Sarcoptic and Psoroptic) are highly contagious and require prompt treatment of all animals in the herd.
Management and Prevention
Management requires treatment of the animals and environmental sanitation.
- **Acaricides (Miticides):** Systemic treatments (e.g., injectable Ivermectin or topical spot-ons) or external sprays/dips are used to kill the mites on the animals.
- **Diagnosis:** Accurate diagnosis via skin scraping is critical, as different mites require different treatment protocols.
- **Quarantine:** Newly introduced animals must be quarantined and treated before joining the main herd.
- **Sanitation:** Thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting pens and facilities, especially between batches of animals, helps reduce environmental transmission.
Conservation and Research
Dairy Cattle Mites are managed as economic pests. Research focuses on the development of new treatments and vaccines, and on non-chemical control methods that enhance cattle immunity or leverage natural environmental cycles to suppress mite populations.