Question

Given below are two statements:
Statement (I): Heavy infection of Argas persicus results in anaemia and the egg-laying drops or completely stops in fowl.
Statement (II): Control of Argas persicus is difficult as it attacks the birds at night and larvae and nymphs drop-off after feeding for about 2 hours.
In light of the above statements, choose the most appropriate answer from the options given below.

• A. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are correct.
• B. Both Statement (I) and Statement (II) are incorrect.
• C. Statement (I) is correct but Statement (II) is incorrect.
• D. Statement (I) is incorrect but Statement (II) is correct.

Hint:

While adult and nymphal soft ticks are fast, "hit-and-run" nocturnal feeders, the larval stage of *Argas persicus* feeds continuously on the host for up to 10 days.
This difference in feeding behavior is important for developing effective control strategies.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Argas persicus (the fowl tick) is a soft tick (family Argasidae) that is a parasite of poultry.
Soft ticks have different feeding behaviors and host-association characteristics compared to hard ticks (family Ixodidae).
Detailed Explanation:
Let us evaluate both statements:
Statement (I): Heavy infestations of Argas persicus cause severe blood loss, leading to a profound regenerative anemia.
Additionally, the ticks inject toxins during feeding, which can cause tick paralysis.
The resulting stress and blood loss cause egg production in laying hens to drop drastically or stop completely.
Thus, Statement (I) is correct.
Statement (II): Adult and nymphal stages of Argas persicus are indeed nocturnal feeders.
They hide in cracks and crevices of the poultry house during the day and feed rapidly on the birds at night, dropping off within 30 minutes to 2 hours.
However, the larval stage of Argas persicus behaves differently:
Once a larva attaches to a bird, it remains attached and feeds continuously for several days (typically 5 to 10 days) before dropping off to molt.
Because larvae remain attached on the host for days, the statement that larvae and nymphs drop off after feeding for 2 hours is incorrect.
Thus, Statement (II) is incorrect.
Therefore, Statement (I) is correct but Statement (II) is incorrect.

Step 2: Final Answer:
The correct option is (C).