Summer is already over, and the mushroom picking season is in full swing. For mushroom pickers, this is the most dangerous time, because ticks are waiting for them in the forest. But to be afraid of ticks - do not go into the forest.
The knowledge that a tick bite can be dangerous leads some mushroom pickers to use certain protective measures. Doctors advise protecting yourself by wearing long sleeves, tucking your pants into your socks, wearing a hat, and using insect repellents that should be applied to clothes and clothing. open areas body.
But there are people who experience a panic fear of “being bitten by a tick” and a fear of getting sick. Fear of ticks, or fear of tick bites, is scientifically called acarophobia (Latin acarus - tick, Greek phobos - fear). This is one of the varieties of insectophobia - obsessive fear, fear of insects.
For many people, a tick bite leads to significant stress and panic. As practice shows, this fear is often based on false or incomplete information. He is warmed up by articles with loud headlines: "Ticks attack again ...", etc. Lack of information also leads to panic fear. Moreover, among residents of large cities, akarophobia is much more common than among residents of rural areas. Strangely, the fear of "being bitten" does not lead these people to use preventive measures- for example, application available funds protection. Such people, most often, are afraid to drive out of town, walk in the park, walk on the lawn or grass. In some cases, they may need psychological help to solve this problem.
Below are pictures of different ticks. There is no need to be afraid of them; what is needed here is not fear, but reasonable fears and correct preventive measures.
Who are ixodid ticks?
Ixodes scapularis
In the process of development, the ixodid tick goes through the following stages: egg → larva → nymph → adult tick.
The larva hatches from the egg. She has 6 legs. After she drinks blood, molting occurs and the larva turns into a nymph. The nymph already has 8 legs. The nymph sucks blood, molts and turns into an adult tick.
Usually, larvae and nymphs feed on small animals, but sometimes they can also attack people. Adult ticks feed on blood, attack both large animals and humans. The female tick lays eggs only after drinking blood. She is able to drink a volume of blood that is more than 100 times her weight. Therefore, the female is on the body of the victim longer than the male. A tick can stay on the body for several days. After the tick has drunk blood, it takes out the proboscis from the body and falls off. After laying eggs, the female tick dies.
During the life cycle, the tick feeds several times on different hosts. At the same time, it can become infected with pathogens of various diseases and transmit them when next feeding. Most mites each time feed on a new host. Some species of ticks go through the first phases of the life cycle or the entire life cycle without changing the host on one animal.
Ticks do not jump or fly. In order for the tick to get on the body, one must pass in close proximity to it. Ticks wait for their victims sitting on the ground or grass, exposing their front paws, on which there are special sensory organs that react to heat and smell. When a potential victim passes by, the tick clings to it with its front paws.
Once on the body, the tick does not bite immediately. It may take several hours for the tick to bite. If the tick is noticed in time, then the bite can be avoided.
Having chosen the bite site, the tick bites through the skin with chelicerae and inserts a hypostome (a special outgrowth of the pharynx similar to a harpoon) into the wound. The hypostome is covered with chitinous teeth that hold the tick. Therefore, the tick is difficult to pull out.
Few people are able to feel the moment of a tick bite, since the tick anesthetizes the bite site well. With saliva, the tick introduces various substances that prevent blood clotting, increasing blood flow.
What threatens a tick bite?
Tick activity begins at the end of April and ends with the onset of frost. The peak of activity is in May-June, but tick bites are possible from April to October. When the soil warms up to 5-7 degrees, the first victims of bites begin to seek help.
Ixodid ticks carry human and animal diseases: tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis, ehrlichiosis and many others.
Undoubtedly, The best way prevention of these infections - protection from tick bites.
It should be remembered that ticks live not only in forests, but also in parks and on garden plots. There may be ticks in cities: on lawns, in grass along roadsides. Ticks sit on the ground, on grass or on low bushes. Ticks can be brought home by animals; on branches, on country or forest flower bouquets, brooms or grass; on the clothes in which you walked in the forest. At home, a tick can bite any member of the family, even a few days later.
Bitten by a tick: what to do?
What should I do if bitten by a tick?
You returned from the forest and found a tick stuck on your body. What to do? There is no need to panic - the right measures taken in time will help prevent possible negative consequences.
1. Remove the tick.
If the tick bite has nevertheless occurred, the initial consultation can always be obtained by calling 03 (in Minsk - 103).
A person who has been bitten by a tick should contact medical care to the territorial polyclinic at the place of residence, to the district SES or the district trauma center to remove the tick and deliver it for examination, as well as to organize medical supervision in order to timely diagnose a tick infection and decide on the appointment of preventive treatment.
How to remove a tick yourself?
There are several ways to remove ticks. They differ only in the tool used to remove the tick.
It is most convenient to remove the tick with curved tweezers or a surgical clip, in principle any other tweezers will do. In this case, the tick must be captured as close as possible to the proboscis, then it is gently pulled up, while rotating around its axis in a convenient direction. Usually, after 1-3 turns, the tick is removed entirely along with the proboscis. If you try to pull out the tick, then the probability of its rupture is high.
On sale there are special hooks for removing ticks. Such a hook looks like a curved two-pronged fork. The tick is inserted between the teeth and also unscrewed.
To remove ticks, there are special devices that have an advantage over clamps or tweezers, since the body of the tick is not squeezed, which eliminates the extrusion of the contents of the tick into the wound, and reduces the risk of contracting tick infections. Usually such devices can be purchased at pharmacies.
If there are no tweezers or special devices for removing ticks at hand, then the tick can be removed with a thread.
A strong thread is tied into a knot, as close as possible to the proboscis of the tick, then the tick is removed, slowly swaying to the sides and pulling it up. Sharp movements are not allowed.
If there are no tweezers or threads at hand, you should wrap your fingers around the tick (it is better to wrap your fingers with a clean bandage) as close to the skin as possible. Pull the tick a little and rotate it around its axis. It is not necessary to crush the tick with your hands. After removing the tick, be sure to wash your hands. The wound must be treated at home with an antiseptic.
Removal of the tick must be done with caution, without squeezing its body, since this may squeeze out the contents of the tick, along with pathogens, into the wound. It is important not to break the tick when removed - the remaining part in the skin can cause inflammation and suppuration. At the same time, it should be taken into account that when the tick head is torn off, the infection process can continue, since there is a significant concentration of tick-borne encephalitis virus in the salivary glands and ducts.
If, when removing the tick, its head came off, which looks like a black dot, the suction site is wiped with cotton wool or a bandage moistened with alcohol, and then the head is removed with a sterile needle (previously calcined on fire) in the same way as you remove an ordinary splinter.
Some far-fetched advice about what to better removal ointment dressings should be applied to the sucked tick or oil solutions should be used. The oil can clog the tick's breathing holes, and the tick will die and remain in the skin. To drip on a tick with oil, kerosene, to cauterize a tick is pointless and dangerous. The respiratory organs of the tick will become blocked and the tick will regurgitate the contents, which will increase the risk of infection.
After removing the tick, the skin at the site of its suction is treated with tincture of iodine or alcohol, or another available antiseptic for the skin. Bandaging is usually not required. In the future, the wound is treated with iodine until healing. It is not necessary to pour a lot of iodine, as you can burn the skin. If everything is normal, then the wound heals in a week.
Hands and tools after removing the tick should be thoroughly washed.
When removing a tick, do not:
Apply caustic liquids to the bite site ( ammonia, gasoline, etc.).
- burn the tick with a cigarette.
- sharply pull the tick - it will break off
- pick in the wound with a dirty needle
- apply various compresses to the bite site
- crush the tick with your fingers
2. If possible, check the health of the tick.
What threatens a tick bite?
The tick can be the source of a fairly wide range of diseases.
The removed tick can be destroyed, but it is better to leave it for laboratory testing for the presence of tick infections. Within two days, the tick must be taken to the laboratory for examination for infection with borreliosis, encephalitis and, if possible, other infections. Usually, the analysis can be done in an infectious diseases hospital or a special laboratory.
Unfortunately, by appearance a tick cannot be judged whether it is encephalitic or not. The tick becomes infected by feeding on an infected animal. The virus can be contained in females, and in males, and in nymphs, and in larvae. The percentage of encephalitis mites is small, and differs in different regions, so most of those bitten do not develop encephalitis.
Some centers agree to take only the whole tick for analysis. The answer is issued in a few hours, a maximum of two days.
The tick should be placed in a small glass jar together with a piece of cotton wool or a napkin slightly moistened with water. Be sure to close the jar with a tight lid and store in the refrigerator.
For microscopic diagnosis, the tick must be delivered to the laboratory alive. Suitable for PCR diagnostics even separate fragments tick. However, the latter method is not widely used even in large cities.
Even if the tick bite was short-lived, the risk of contracting tick-borne infections cannot be ruled out.
However, it should be understood that the presence of an infection in a tick does not mean that a person will get sick. Tick analysis is needed for peace of mind in case of a negative result and vigilance in case of a positive one.
If the result of the study is positive, there is no need to panic: firstly, even when infected, the disease does not always develop, and secondly, in most cases it ends in recovery.
If the test results are borderline or doubtful, it is better to re-analyze in 1-2 weeks.
It is desirable that a person who has been bitten by a tick is observed by an infectious disease doctor for a month, who, if necessary, will prescribe the necessary preventive or treatment measures. If more than 2 months have passed since the tick bite, you don’t have to worry.
3. We calm ourselves, dispel later doubts.
Most the right way to determine the presence of the disease - to take a blood test. Donating blood immediately after a tick bite does not make sense, since the tests will not show anything. At least 10 days must pass, then you can examine the blood for tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis by PCR. To test for antibodies (IgM) to the tick-borne encephalitis virus, blood should be taken two weeks after the tick bite, to test for antibodies (IgM) to Borrelia (tick-borne borreliosis) - three weeks after the bite. If the result of the analysis is positive, you should contact the infectious disease specialist.
After the tick is removed, it is necessary:
- take pills according to the scheme prescribed by the doctor (if prescribed). If the pathogens were not found during the examination of the tick, the prophylaxis still continues according to the prescribed scheme.
- monitor health and temperature
- observe the bite site.
If redness appears at the site of the bite, with fever, headache, dizziness, vomiting, pain in the muscles of the trunk and limbs, you should consult an infectious disease specialist. Redness can be both a symptom of borreliosis and an allergic reaction to a bite - a slight redness around the wound in the first days after a tick bite is usually a reaction to a bite and goes away without consequences. If dirt gets into the wound, then redness may be due to the development of a purulent infection.
In most cases, symptoms appear in the second week after the bite, but may appear earlier or later (up to 21 days of tick-borne encephalitis, up to a month of borreliosis). If 21 days have passed since the bite, then tick-borne encephalitis will no longer develop. In tick-borne borreliosis incubation period maybe up to a month. The appearance of any of these symptoms does not mean that a disease associated with a tick bite has developed, but it is necessary to consult an infectious disease specialist.
Tick-borne encephalitis is a very dangerous tick-borne infection. Emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis should be carried out as early as possible, preferably on the first day. It is carried out using antiviral drugs or immunoglobulin. A doctor should prescribe such prophylaxis.
When bitten by an encephalitic tick, the virus enters the bloodstream with saliva. In the future, events may develop in different ways. If the bitten person has been vaccinated and the level of antibodies is sufficient, then the virus immediately binds and the disease does not develop. The development of viral encephalitis can be stopped by other antiviral defense factors, such as the interferon system. Therefore, even if the tick was encephalitic, the bitten one may not get sick. The presence of a virus in a tick does not mean that the disease will develop. The number of people bitten by encephalitis ticks significantly exceeds the number of people with tick-borne encephalitis. But even one bite can lead to serious illness.
The best protection against encephalitis mites is proper clothing, repellents, and vaccinations.
Tick-borne borreliosis is a dangerous and most common disease transmitted by ticks. Emergency prevention of tick-borne borreliosis, as a rule, is not carried out.
For the treatment of borreliosis, a course of a powerful antibiotic is usually prescribed. For example, I was prescribed doxycycline (one of the names is Unidox Solutab) according to the scheme of 200 mg (2 capsules or tablets) at the first dose, then one tablet (100 mg) in the morning and one tablet in the evening (100 mg) for 5 days. Remember that this is a very serious dosage, and only a doctor can prescribe it. Do not self-medicate, if in doubt - consult a doctor!
You should not get too hung up on the bite and listen to the body. There are people who, having noticed a tick bite, immediately find all the symptoms in themselves. It's like a joke:
Announcement in the clinic: "Patients waiting for their turn to receive, please do not share the symptoms of their diseases, as this greatly complicates the diagnosis."
At the same time, we must remember that the bite took place, and, in case of deterioration of health, immediately consult a doctor. The doctor will examine the patient, collect an anamnesis and, based on it, issue a conclusion on what should be done next. Doctor's appointments depend on many factors, for example: intolerance to antibiotics, pregnancy, the scope of the victim and his age; the area in which the tick was found, the time that the tick stayed on the human body, etc.
Prevention.
The best way to prevent tick infections is to protect yourself from tick bites.
Tick protection:
- Repellents.
- Vaccination.
- Fighting ticks in garden plots.
When visiting places where there may be ticks, it is better to wear closed shoes (boots, boots, sneakers)
Before going into the forest, try to protect your body from tick attacks, especially your neck, arms, and legs. Wear clothing that protects your skin as much as possible from contact with the tick. Button up your sleeves and tuck your trousers into your socks or shoes. It is best to wear long trousers with puffs on the legs, or you can tuck the legs into socks so that the tick cannot crawl under the trousers. The jacket must have puffs on the sleeves. There are special costumes made from thick fabric and equipped with puffs that reliably protect against ticks (especially when correct use repellents).
In pharmacies, in hardware and large stores, at gas stations, you can usually buy various repellents that repel insects (mosquitoes, midges, horseflies) and ticks. They are applied to the skin and washed off after visiting the forest. Protection time, method of application and contraindications are indicated on the package.
To protect against ticks, clothing is treated with preparations containing acaricides (substances that kill ticks). Such drugs protect against ticks for a week or more. After contact with clothing treated with an anti-mite preparation, the tick dies within a few minutes. Usually, such drugs should not be applied to the skin.
Use tick repellents according to their directions for use.
In the forest, examine yourself and your children every two hours, especially the areas of the thinnest skin where the tick prefers to stick. The tick takes a long time to find a place to bite, so check your clothes and body regularly. On clothes of light colors, it is easier to see the tick. Conduct self- and mutual examinations of the skin. The size of a tick not saturated with blood is 1-3 mm, saturated - up to 1 cm.
Do not walk on paths under low thickets, through bushes, or through tall grass.
Returning from the forest or park, take off your clothes, look at them well - the tick may be in the folds and seams. Carefully inspect the entire body - the tick can stick anywhere. The shower will wash away the unattached ticks.
Examine pets after walks, do not let them lie down on the bed. Ticks can be brought home by dogs, cats and any other animals.
Remember: the detected ticks should not be crushed with your hands, as you can get infected.
With frequent visits to tick habitats, it is advisable to get vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis. The vaccine protects for at least 3 years.
To reduce the number of ticks in the garden plot, carry out timely cleaning of the site and the surrounding area - remove deadwood and deadwood, cut down unnecessary shrubs, mow the grass. Very useful is the sowing of plant antagonists, such as thyme and sage.
Laboratories where you can check the tick for infections in Minsk:
Minsk City Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology
address: st. P. Brovki, 13, laboratory building GU MGTsGE, room 101 "Reception of analyzes".
Center for Clinical Microbiology and Immunology
address: Minsk, st. Filimonova, 23
In other cities, contact the district clinic, SES, emergency room, or call 03 (or 103).
In preparing the material, open Internet sources, materials and photographs from the sites ixodes, ru and encephalitis, ru were used.
Attention! This article is informational and cannot serve as material for self-diagnosis and treatment. Please seek advice from a specialist in your area.
But there are also not the most friendly arachnids that are carriers of dangerous diseases, the most famous of them in Russia are encephalitis, anaplasmosis, Lyme disease and ehrlichiosis.
Even a safe (sterile) tick on the human body can cause a severe allergic reaction. An interesting fact is that one tick can simultaneously carry several types of pathological microorganisms. Such mixed carriers make up 10% of all mites.
What does a tick bite look like
A typical example of a tick bite would be a spot in Lyme disease. In this case, erythema appears, it gradually increases and can reach 20 or even more than 50 cm. The shape of the bite spot is necessarily round or oval. After a while, a bulge appears along the edge. The color may be white or bluish in the very center. After 24 hours, the stain becomes like a donut, a dry crust appears. After 2-3 weeks, no bite marks remain.
The bite itself is never accompanied by pain, and if a person also has no allergies, then it is impossible to understand at all that a tick has attacked. The first manifestations will be noticeable after a few hours - the reaction time depends on the characteristics of the organism.
anxiety symptoms
The first and obvious sign is the detection of the tick itself on the body. Severe symptoms often occur in children, persons over 60 years of age, in people with immunodeficiency and a tendency to allergies.
After a few hours, you can observe characteristic manifestations:
- general weakness, apathy, fatigue;
- drowsiness and soreness in the muscles;
- fever, photophobia.
The first dangerous symptoms:
- soreness and redness;
- temperature rise to 38 degrees;
- decrease in pressure and heart rhythm disturbance;
- itching, urticaria in case of allergies;
- enlargement of regional lymph nodes.
Less commonly, symptoms such as migraine, shortness of breath, intestinal upset, and even hallucinations, visual or auditory, can be observed.
Arachnids usually stick in areas of sensitive skin, where the capillary network is well developed. At the same time, there are two types of ticks of different age groups.
- Imago are adults, their feature is the presence of four pairs of legs.
- Nymphs are larvae, they have three pairs of limbs.
The symptoms of a fever differ depending on the infection.
- Encephalitis. Hyperthermia appears 3-4 days after the attack, lasts for 14 days. The temperature returns to normal, but after 7-9 days it rises again.
- Anaplasmosis. The temperature rises after 2 weeks.
- Borreliosis, or Lyme disease. Hyperthermia is a secondary sign, it is combined with muscle pain and chills.
- Erlichiosis. Fever begins in 1-2 weeks, lasts for 20 days.
An increase in body temperature is characteristic of any infection that ticks transmit. If this symptom occurs, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Consequences
Various organs and systems of the body can suffer from a tick bite:
- liver - due to indigestion;
- nervous system arises headache, epilepsy, paresis and paralysis;
- joints - arthritis and arthralgia;
- lungs - internal bleeding and pneumonia;
- kidneys - glomerulonephritis or nephritis;
- CCC - increase and decrease in blood pressure, heart rhythm disturbance.
When attacked by an encephalitic tick, both a favorable and an unfavorable outcome is possible. In the first case, a person has asthenic syndrome, that is, severe weakness that lasts about 2 months. In this case, there is no violation of the function of internal organs and the body is completely restored over time.
A favorable outcome is also possible with moderate severity of the disease, the recovery period of which can last six months. An unfavorable outcome is likely in case of impaired respiratory function and with a constant increase in symptoms.
The resource site dwelled in more detail on studying the consequences of a tick bite and stated that stress, alcohol consumption, and severe physical overwork can aggravate the condition. It is possible to improve the prognosis and quality of life if these negative factors are avoided.
Diseases from a bite
Ticks transmit microbial, protozoal and viral infections. They are common and found in every corner of the world.
Viral:
- tick-borne encephalitis;
- hemorrhagic fever;
- rare forms of tick-borne fever.
Microbial:
- erlichiosis;
- anaplasmosis;
- borreliosis.
Rickettsial:
- Marseille fever;
- paroxysmal rickettsiosis;
- typhus;
- rickettsiosis smallpox;
- Astrakhan spotted fever;
Tick-borne encephalitis
After a bite, many people pull out a tick and throw it away, as there are no symptoms, and with them a suspicion of any disease. But it is strongly recommended to take the extracted tick to the laboratory for research. In case of danger, this will allow treatment to begin even before dangerous symptoms appear.
Tick-borne infection develops quickly, a person's temperature rises to 38-39 degrees, weakness, severe migraine, muscle aches are felt. The skin becomes red, coordination is disturbed and convulsions begin.
This infection can result in irreversible damage to the nervous system. The most severe consequence is paralysis of the legs. In about 2% of cases, the disease, without appropriate treatment, ends in death within a week after the onset of the first signs.
Borreliosis
Not less than insidious disease is borreliosis, the first sign of which is, at first glance, a harmless redness in the bite area. But soon the red spot reaches 10-20 cm, and in severe cases even 60 cm. After a while, the spot becomes blue or white, then covered with a crust.
A month later, symptoms of damage to the nervous system, lungs, heart and musculoskeletal system, especially muscles and joints, are already developing. This period is characterized by flu-like symptoms. Violation of the NS leads to paralysis, insomnia and can cause deafness.
Complications of this disease are various pathologies from the nervous system, heart and joints. Unfortunately, such consequences sometimes develop even in those who seek medical help on time.
First aid after a bite
After removing the tick, the skin is treated with an antiseptic, pre-washed running water with soap. Be sure to make sure that no particles remain under the skin. Reddened skin can be treated with a wound healing ointment, but at the same time, a small area in the area of \u200b\u200bthe bite itself is left open.
Those who live in disadvantaged areas are advised to purchase special tick removal kits in advance. It can be a "Uniklin Tick Twister" or a "lasso pen". After removing the tick with tools, it is also placed in a sealed vial, which is signed and sent for research.
If during the extraction of the tick it was possible to get only half of it, you must definitely go to the hospital. Some agencies that operate around the clock provide first aid for bites.
When to go to the doctor
Urgent help is also needed for the development of Quincke's edema. Its symptoms:
- labored breathing;
- pallor or blueness of the skin;
- swelling of the lips and eyelids;
- soreness in the muscles.
This is a severe allergic reaction, in which you must immediately call an ambulance and provide first aid to the victim before the doctor arrives.
First aid:
- give an antihistamine drug - it can be "Erius", "Zirtek" or "Suprastin";
- well ventilate the room, provide air access;
- if possible, introduce the drug "Prednisolone" - 60 mg intramuscularly.
All subsequent treatment activities will be carried out in a medical institution after the examination.
Treatment
If a sterile tick bite occurs without an allergy, treatment is not required and there will be no consequences. Drug therapy is carried out when attacked by an encephalitis tick or a carrier of other infections.
The principle of treatment of a patient with encephalitis:
- compliance with bed rest;
- the entire period of high temperature the patient is in the hospital;
- the first 2-4 days immunoglobulin is prescribed;
- shows the use of prednisolone, ribonuclease, reopoliglyukin;
- with respiratory failure, intensive ventilation is carried out;
- prescribed in case of inflammation ascorbic acid and vitamin B.
During the rehabilitation period, treatment is carried out with tranquilizers, anabolic steroids and nootropic drugs. Antibacterial drugs may also be prescribed to prevent complications in the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory and hepatobiliary systems.
Principles of treatment of a patient with borreliosis:
- hospitalization for symptoms of neurological abnormalities;
- with a disease in the stage of erythema, bacteriostatics and tetracycline are prescribed;
- relief of the neurological syndrome is carried out with antibiotics of the penicillin series for intravenous administration;
- the water balance is necessarily restored, physiological solutions are administered intravenously, vitamins and preparations are administered intramuscularly to normalize blood circulation.
Prevention
After getting acquainted with the rather unpleasant facts about the tick bite and its consequences, it's time to analyze the preventive measures and find out how you can protect yourself from the carrier of the infection.
The likelihood of a tick bite depends on several factors:
- place of residence;
- frequency of being in the forest and field;
- visits to unfavorable areas where tick-borne infections are common.
Better once again be vigilant and check for ticks on the body while walking in the danger zone. Ideally, this should be done every half hour, during which time the tick will not have time to stick and it can be easily removed.
Preventing the bite itself is not so easy. To do this, you need to completely avoid areas with trees and other plants. But you can do prevention of the consequences, which is more effective and will give a real result.
The main measure of primary prevention is vaccination. Additionally, specific immunotherapy can be performed, which is indicated for suspected infection. People working in the forest are advised to wear special protective clothing. You can also use special means to kill or repel ticks.
Vaccine
Vaccination is carried out solely for the purpose of primary prevention, it is contraindicated to vaccinate a person after infection.
Preparations used in Russia for vaccination:
- "EnceVir". Introduced from the age of 18. Produced in Russia.
- FSME Immun Junior. Introduced from 1 to 16 years. Produced in Switzerland.
- Encepur Children. Introduced from 1 to 11 years. Produced in Germany.
It is also possible to carry out an emergency vaccination. It is indicated when an urgent departure to a potentially dangerous area is necessary. This vaccine has a short duration of protection.
Means for scaring and destruction
When leaving for an unfavorable area or hiking in the forest, it is recommended to apply protective equipment to open skin and clothing. They exist in two types - repellents (scare away) and acaricides (kill). The former are used to repel various insects. They can be sprayed on clothes, arms, legs, neck and other parts of the body.
Aerosol representatives:
- "Beeban";
- "Raptor";
- "Breeze-antiklesch";
- "Ultraton".
Acaricides are capable of destroying ticks, but such agents can only be used to treat clothing and various items. In pharmacies, you can find products of this group that can be applied to the skin, but this is not recommended, as there is a risk of poisoning and allergies.
Even if biting has become commonplace, do not forget about the potential danger. Faced with such a problem once again, one cannot hope for the usual favorable outcome, because it is much easier and safer to be examined by a doctor once than to undergo a course of treatment for several months.
Blood-sucking mites are carriers of numerous infections and belong to the class of especially dangerous ones. Infection occurs directly through the bite of an arthropod. The most serious infections carried by ticks are encephalitis and borreliosis.
The peak of bite registration occurs in the first half of summer, but tick activity is observed until late autumn. A tick can get caught on clothing and then make its way to exposed skin. Often penetration dangerous tick occurs through the sleeves, at the bottom of the trousers, in the collar area.
Tick classification
In size, these representatives of arthropods rarely reach 3 mm; in general, the size of mites ranges from 0.1 to 0.5 mm. As befits arachnids, ticks lack wings.
Ticks are classified into two main groups:
- Sterile - those individuals who are not carriers of any infections;
- Infected ticks that are carriers of viral, microbial and other diseases (, encephalitis).
It is worth noting that most often ticks begin to bite in early spring and late autumn. Please note that not all ticks are carriers infectious diseases. Despite this, even a sterile tick can lead to serious consequences. That is why it is so important to know what to do in a particular situation when attacked by a tick.
Tick bites - the first signs in humans
As a rule, the first sign of a bite is the presence of an insect attached to the body of the victim. Most often, this is exposed to areas of the body hidden under clothing and places with a well-developed capillary system.
A tick bite is usually painless, and this fact goes unnoticed even after the tick has finished drinking blood and falls off the skin.
The first signs after a tick bite may appear after 2-4 hours. These include:
- headache;
- weakness;
- photophobia;
- drowsiness;
- chills;
- aches in the joints;
- pain in the muscles.
If redness occurs during the bite, this may be a normal allergic reaction. But red spots that have reached a diameter of 10-12 cm can be a symptom. May appear, both after 2 days, and after weeks.
Overly sensitive people may feel signs of a tick bite, such as:
- nausea;
- vomiting and indigestion;
- Strong headache;
- dizziness;
- wheezing breathing;
- hallucinations.
If you are bitten by a tick, measure your body temperature daily for 10 days! Its increase 2-9 days after the bite may indicate that you have contracted an infectious disease!
Symptoms of a tick bite
Most often, the first symptoms begin to manifest themselves 7-24 days after the bite. There were cases when a sharp deterioration in the condition was observed after 2 months. Therefore, health needs to be monitored.
If the tick has not been infected, then the redness and itching quickly pass without a trace, no other symptoms appear. If the insect was infected, then after the tick has bitten, signs such as general weakness, chills, drowsiness, body aches, joints, photophobia, neck numbness appear.
Please note that the affected area is painless, there is only a slight round redness.
The severity of symptoms may vary. How tick bites manifest depends on age, individual features, general condition human, on the number of sucking insects.
The main symptoms of an encephalitic tick bite in humans:
- Body aches
- Increasing headaches,
If there are such symptoms, nothing can be postponed, you should immediately contact the clinic.
| Description of symptoms | |
| Temperature | One of the most common symptoms if bitten by a tick is fever. This occurs within the first hours after the bite and is an allergic reaction to the entry of insect saliva into the body. An elevated temperature may appear after 7-10 days, when the bitten about the experience and forgets to think. If during this period heat, this is a sign of the development of an infectious process. |
| Redness after bites | This symptom is characteristic of Lyme disease. The place where the tick is sucked is redder and resembles a ring. This can happen 3-10 days after the defeat. In some cases, there is a skin rash. Over time, the redness after the bite changes size and becomes much larger. Over the next 3-4 weeks, the rash begins to gradually disappear and the stain may disappear completely. |
| Rash | The rash that results from a tick bite, also known as erythema migrans (pictured), is a symptom of Lyme disease. It looks like a bright red spot with an elevated central part. May also be dark red or of blue color, which makes it look like a bruise on the skin. |
The earlier treatment is started, the better the prognosis. Therefore, it is important to vaccinate on time, insure against tick-borne encephalitis, so that injections with immunoglobulin and subsequent therapy are free.
What does a tick bite look like on a person's body
The tick is attached to the human body with the help of a hypostome. This unpaired outgrowth performs the functions of a sensory organ, attachment and bloodsucking. The most likely place for a tick to stick to a person from the bottom up:
- groin area;
- abdomen and lower back;
- chest, armpits, neck;
- ear area.
Bites can often manifest themselves in different ways. Let's look at the photo of what a tick bite looks like on a human body:
If, after removing the tick, a small black dot remains at the suction site, this means that the head has come off and must be removed. To do this, the affected area is treated with alcohol and the wound is cleaned with a disinfected needle. After removing the head, you need to lubricate the wound with alcohol or iodine.
Be sure to save the tick (put it in plastic bag) so that you can conduct a study in the laboratory and determine whether it was an encephalitis tick or not. The severity of the consequences for the bitten person or animal and further therapy depend on this.
It must be understood that a small tick bite can lead to serious health problems. So, encephalitis can cause paralysis of the limbs and lead to death.
If you are close to the city, contact the emergency room immediately, specialists will remove the tick without unnecessary risk. And there is a risk of crushing it during self-extraction, and if the crushed tick turns out to be infected, it will enter the body a large number of virus.
The further course depends on how quickly the person reacted to the defeat. If he ignored the symptoms and did not go to the doctor, the prognosis is extremely unfavorable. The fact is that tick bites can manifest themselves only after a while.
Consequences for the body
A tick bite can cause a number of diseases in humans. Naturally, if you do not pay attention to this, serious consequences are possible.
The following is a list of possible consequences of tick-borne infections, in the form of lesions:
- nervous system - encephalomyelitis, various options epilepsy, hyperkinesis, headaches, paresis, paralysis;
- joints - arthralgia, arthritis;
- cardiovascular system - arrhythmia, jumps in blood pressure;
- lungs - a consequence of pulmonary bleeding;
- kidneys - nephritis, glomerulonephritis;
- liver - digestive disorders.
At severe forms of these infections, loss of the ability to self-service, a decrease in working capacity (up to disability of group 1), epileptic seizures and the development of dementia are possible.
Diseases that can occur with bites
- Tick-borne encephalitis
- Tick-borne typhus
- Hemorrhagic fever
- Borreliosis. The causative agent of this disease are spirochetes, which spread in nature, including ticks. The disease occurs in chronic form, affects almost all organs and systems. In the treatment of borreliosis (Lyme disease), antibiotics are required! They are used to suppress pathogens. Lyme borreliosis is caused by a microorganism from the group of spirochetes.
- Tick-borne encephalitis. An infectious viral disease transmitted by tick bites, characterized by fever and damage to the central nervous system. The consequences of a bite from an encephalitis tick can be very deplorable. In some cases, after suffering encephalitis, people become disabled.
- Tick-borne typhus. The rash of typhus is often initially called pink, although this first symptom appears only on fair skin. The next stage is the blanching of the rash, and later it turns red and dark again. In severe cases of typhoid, where hemorrhagic elements are visible, bleeding into the skin (petechiae) often develops.
- Hemorrhagic fever. The danger lies in severe and sometimes irreversible damage to vital organs. All people with suspected hemorrhagic fever are subject to hospitalization in the boxed department of the infectious diseases hospital.
Prevention
- It is best to get vaccinated earlier, because after infection, the vaccine is prohibited. The vaccine is indicated for those who live in a disadvantaged region, professionally associated with the forest.
- First of all, going to the habitat of ticks, you need to dress properly. Clothing should be with long sleeves, trousers, you also need to put something on your head, preferably a hood. Thermal underwear can be very convenient, as it fits perfectly to the body and does not allow the insect to crawl into secluded places.
- Recovering to the area in which there are ticks, be as "armed" as possible, grab all the necessary things that will be needed in case of a tick bite.
- When moving through the forest, stay in the middle of the paths, avoiding tall grass and bushes.
What to do if bitten by a tick, symptoms and signs, emergency care, treatment and prevention, testing for encephalitis.
The content of the article:
A tick bite is the suction of a small arthropod arachnid insect, a potential carrier of pathogens of dangerous infections to skin people and animals. The most dangerous diseases transmitted by ticks: encephalitis, Lyme disease, hemorrhagic fever, tick-borne typhus. Carriers of the infection are about 20% of the number of ticks.
What are the main symptoms if bitten by a tick
The first symptoms appear a few hours after the insect sticks to the skin. The victim feels itching and discomfort on the affected area of the body.
Rarely, a stronger reaction of the body to a bite occurs:
- An increase in temperature to 37-38 degrees against the background of low blood pressure and rapid heartbeat;
- severe itching and rash;
- Enlarged lymph nodes;
- Headache;
- Weakness and drowsiness;
- Joint aches;
- Labored breathing;
- Light hallucinations;
- Nausea and vomiting.
It is important to know! A tick bite may be asymptomatic. During the period of activity (early spring - late autumn), it is necessary to look at the body in front of a mirror and examine the surface of the head for the presence of an insect.
What are the signs if bitten by a tick
Tick bite is not accompanied painful sensations. It's caused high content an anesthetic in the saliva it injects into the skin before biting. This prevents the timely detection and extraction of the insect.
As a rule, the first sign of a bite is the presence of an insect attached to the body of the victim. Most often, this is exposed to areas of the body hidden under clothing and places with a well-developed capillary system.
Traces to look for:
- Near the earlobe on the back side;
- On inside hips;
- On the scalp;
- In the axillary zone;
- On the back, under the shoulder blades;
- In the chest area;
- Under the kneecap.
A dangerous infectious disease can be detected on early dates if you notice signs of skin changes and general well-being. Fever, accompanied by tachycardia, for 7-10 days is the first sign of infectious pathogenesis.
bite sign ixodid tick, the carrier of the virus is the onset of symptomatic manifestations of the disease. In tick-borne encephalitis, the virus infects the peripheral nerves, brain, motor neurons of the spine and is manifested by partial paralysis and convulsions.
Borreliosis (Lyme disease) is an infectious disease, manifested by the appearance of a red spot, increasing to a peripheral state (from 1 to 10 mm in diameter). In rare cases, the spot at the site of the bite grows up to 60 mm in diameter. Over time, the center of the formed circle turns pale, taking the form of a cyanotic ring. Signs of infection with borreliosis disappear after 2-3 weeks, and the phase of the clinical picture begins.
Where to go if bitten by a tick
Having found a tick, it is necessary to contact the emergency department of the trauma center as soon as possible. Medical staff will remove the tick and treat the wound.
There are situations when an insect is taken out and disposed of without a laboratory examination for the content of a transmissible virus. It is necessary to demand that the case be recorded and actions taken in accordance with the stipulated regulations.
If you live in a locality where there are no such medical facilities, you need to remove the tick yourself and place it in a tightly closed test tube (you can take a clean glass jar). The insect must be taken to a specialized laboratory for PCR testing.
If symptoms of an allergic reaction, fever and general malaise are observed within 10 days after the bite, immediately consult a doctor for testing and prophylaxis of the disease with medications.
Important! The tick must be delivered to the research lab alive.
How to get a tick at home
The first step is to properly remove the tick from the skin without damaging it. This can be done with a special tool, thread or tweezers. It is important not to pinch the digestive tract, which will provoke a backflow of saliva into the blood. To do this, grab the insect as close as possible to the proboscis and slowly rotate around its axis to remove it from the skin.
It is difficult to do this with tweezers - there is a threat of rupture. For this purpose, special hooks with a slot are sold. At home, in the absence of special devices, you can make a clamp, which is easy to unscrew the tick. To do this, just fold the thread in half, put it on the tick, thread the ends into the loop and tighten.
The bite site must be treated with alcohol or any other antiseptic, drink the antihistamine as much as possible. allowable rate, according to the instructions attached to the drug. This will reduce the body's allergic reaction to the bite. After 10-12 days, it is necessary to donate blood for analysis in a specialized laboratory and contact an infectious disease specialist with the result. Subsequent measures to prevent or treat the virus depend on the results of the analysis and the recommendations of the doctor.
If the tick ruptured and the antennae remained in the skin, do not panic. It is necessary to treat the bite site with an alcohol solution or iodine and do not try to get the remnants with a needle, after 5-10 days the skin will “push” them out like a foreign body.
It is important to know! The seized tick must be sent for analysis to a research laboratory, after placing it in a closed glass jar with a damp cotton swab. If this possibility is not provided, the insect must be disposed of - doused with boiling water or burned.
What to do if bitten by a tick: treatment rules
The main thing is not to panic. The tick must be removed as quickly as possible to avoid damaging it. If an on-duty trauma center is open at your place of residence, immediately contact specialists for help. In remote villages there are often no such institutions, so the poet should act independently, observing the utmost caution.
Medical treatment if bitten by a tick
A tick is a carrier of infectious diseases, otherwise harmful bacteria, and the first thing after a bite is to drink a broad-spectrum antibiotic, for example, Amoxil or Cefodox, according to the standard scheme set out in the instructions for the drug. The course of admission is 5-7 days. An antibiotic is sufficient to prevent the development of borreliosis and other forms of tick-borne virus, with the exception of encephalitis.
After sucking an insect, it is rational to use a single application of "Doxycycline" - a semi-synthetic antibiotic from the tetracycline group. The preparation of a wide spectrum of action, is able to penetrate into the cells of microorganisms and block the synthesis. Already two hours after taking the antibiotic reaches its maximum concentration in the blood plasma, fully retaining its properties for 15-16 hours.
Important! If, after a tick bite, symptoms characteristic of the flu appear, you should immediately contact the hospital for additional tests and effective treatment.
How to treat a tick bite with immunoglobulin
Immunoglobulin is used for emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis. The use of the drug is advisable only in the first days after a tick bite. The injection is administered intramuscularly or intravenously, only as directed by a doctor.
The dosage is also determined by the specialist. After the introduction of the vaccine, the victim is observed for the presence of an allergic reaction and side effects in a hospital setting.
The drug is intended for emergency replenishment of natural antibodies that replace immunomodulators and immunostimulants in the blood serum. For the prevention of diseases transmitted by ticks, "Immunoglobulin" is used as a vaccine.
Features of the treatment of a tick bite with iodantipyrin
After three days after the bite, the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis with "Immunoglobulin" is not effective. Doctors prescribe "Jodantipyrin" - a strong antiviral and anti-inflammatory agent that stimulates cellular immunity. The effectiveness of the drug against tick-borne encephalitis virus has been proven.
"Jodantipyrin" is prescribed for adults and children over 14 years of age. The drug has practically no contraindications. Dosage and restrictions are indicated in the instructions. For adults, it is recommended to take 300 mg 3 times a day for the first three days after the bite, 200 mg 3 times a day for the next two days, 100 mg 3 times a day for the next five days.
For those living in regions with an increased epidemiological threshold of tick-borne encephalitis, it is recommended to take "Jodantipyrin" 200 mg (2 tablets) 1 time per day throughout the entire period of stay in the danger zone.
Consequences if bitten by a tick
The risk of contracting dangerous diseases is not excluded, even if the tick bite was short-lived. It is enough for an infected insect to penetrate into a place convenient for it, as it immediately releases saliva with a high content of anesthetic substance and sticks its proboscis into the skin - contact has occurred.
Not always bite infected tick accompanied by infection, turning into a disease, however, the threat exists. In rare cases, the consequences can be irreversible if effective measures are not taken.
Ticks carry many dangerous viral diseases. There are four most common and dangerous diseases developing after the bite of an ixodid tick:
- . This is the most dangerous tick-borne infection, it begins to multiply at the site of the bite without visible external manifestations. Symptoms appear on the 10-14th day, when the virus infects the lymphatic system and lines the walls of the vessels with multiplied cells. At this point, the victim feels general weakness and flu-like symptoms. The situation is aggravated when the virus penetrates further and affects the central nervous system. Paralysis of the limbs occurs, blindness and deafness occur, vomiting and widespread convulsions, frequent headaches, loss of consciousness, arrhythmia, mental disorders and disorientation in space. In some cases, after inflammation of the brain, death occurs.
- Borreliosis. An infectious disease transmitted by ticks. More commonly known as Lyme disease. It is manifested by the presence of an increasing red ring with white fields at the site of the bite. Over time, the spot increases in diameter up to 70 mm and acquires a blue tint. After 14-21 days, the spot disappears and the stage of damage to the nervous and cardiac systems, joint dysfunction begins. There is a mutation of the virus and widespread changes in general malaise: fever and weakness, sore throat and head, hypertonicity of muscles and tendons, severe swelling of the joints, impaired skin sensitivity, loss of sleep, deafness, partial paralysis, arrhythmia, dizziness, mental disorders. Death is extremely rare, due to the lack of timely treatment. Symptoms are often confused with mental illness without exercising medical therapy from borreliosis.
- Hemorrhagic fever. A disease that affects the blood vessels and leads to a violation of blood clotting. The initial phase is often asymptomatic. When plasma stratification occurs in the capillaries, the blood does not coagulate, numerical internal bleeding occurs. There are profuse rashes on the skin and internal organs. Multiple organ failure sets in (kidneys, liver, cardiovascular and respiratory systems fail) and widespread metabolic disorders.
- Tick-borne typhus. Infection occurs when scratching the bite site. As a result of the disease, there is a persistent prolonged headache, fever, pain in the spine, and possibly a coma. The patient's consciousness becomes inhibited, disorientation occurs in space, the lower abdomen is covered with a spotty rash Pink colour, and body temperature steps over 40 degrees and lasts about two to three weeks. In some cases, death occurs.
Refers to small arachnids feeding mainly on the blood of animals. Not all types of ticks are dangerous to humans - forest ticks are the most dangerous.
The tick is the main carrier of many infectious diseases. Only two of them are registered on the territory of our republic - tick-borne encephalitis and tick-borne borreliosis, or Lyme disease. Infection of a person occurs mainly through the blood with a tick bite. But infection is also possible when eating raw goat's milk.
The insect lives mainly in the grass, less often in low shrubs. It is usually inactive and moves very slowly. Usually, ticks climb onto thin stems of plants and blades of grass and spend in a similar state. most his life, waiting for the approach of the victim - a person or an animal. The paws of the insect are equipped with special microscopic claws, allowing it to securely attach to clothing.
