With the advent of spring, not only leaves and flowers bloom, but also various insects and mites wake up and become active. Ticks are arthropods, the bite of infected individuals can cause various diseases. Fortunately, no more than 20% of ticks are infected. But still, everyone should know where these pests are found, how to scare them away and what to do if the pest has bitten.
Where do ticks live
The largest number of bites by these pests is recorded in the central, Ural, Siberian regions, the smallest - in the south and the North Caucasus. They wake up at an average daily temperature above 0-3 ̊С and live until late autumn.
Habitat wood tick are damp and dark wooded places. Ticks live in dry grass or shrubs in damp and dark wooded areas. They do not know how to jump or fly, but they cling very tightly to clothes, and then crawl to open areas skin. Ticks feel their approaching prey even tens of meters away, therefore special means Strong-scented guards help in the fight against bites by interrupting the smell of a person.
How does a tick bite
Most often, pests choose a place to bite in the armpits, neck, head, lower legs, abdomen, and other folded areas. They may not bite immediately, but first crawl over the skin for several hours. When bitten, the tick pierces the skin and attaches to it with the help of a specific organ called the hypostome. The organ is a kind of outgrowth that performs the functions of sucking blood and attaching to the human body.
During the sucking of blood, the volume of the pest increases many times. At the same time, males are saturated in 1-1.5 hours. Female individuals can be in this state for up to 10 days, they are characterized by insatiability.
Signs of a tick bite
A person can hardly feel that he was bitten by a tick. The pest has a very small size, in addition, in the process of sucking, it injects its saliva, which plays the role of an anesthetic and makes the bite invisible. After piercing the skin, it sticks to the capillaries and draws blood. As a result, his body increases in size, and it is no longer difficult to see him.
The bite site will also have characteristic features corresponding to the type and state of health of the tick, the duration of its attachment. If bitten by a sterile, non-disease carrier, individual, then at the suction site there will be a small red spot with a bite mark inside.
As a result of an allergy to substances contained in the pest's saliva, edema may occur on the body near the bite. With a strong reaction of the body, the area of redness can be more than 100 mm in diameter, there is a strong swelling.
Additional features are:
- the appearance of causeless drowsiness, fatigue;
- aches and pain in the joints, accompanied by chills;
- the appearance of photophobia.
As a rule, a stronger reaction occurs in weak and sick people, children, the elderly with chronic diseases. It is for them that it is very important to quickly detect the site of a tick bite and take preventive measures.
Tick bite - symptoms
Symptoms of a bite sometimes do not appear immediately, it depends on the state of the immune system of the victim. A slight increase in body temperature, pressure may indicate other diseases. But in combination with the appearance of rashes that itch, an increase in regional lymph nodes, an increased heartbeat, these are obvious symptoms of a tick bite.
If a person has poor health, then the reaction can be very strong, for example:
- there will be nausea or vomiting,
- wheezing will occur, it will be difficult to breathe,
- headaches will appear
- a state of nervous excitement may occur, up to the appearance of hallucinations.
It is very important to monitor the condition of the victim not only immediately after the bite, but also for several days. If in the first hours an elevated temperature indicates an allergy to tick saliva, then in the subsequent hours it indicates the onset of an infectious disease.
For each infectious disease, there are characteristic differences in body temperature:
- Tick-borne encephalitis. When infected, the temperature of the victim rises 2-4 days after infection. The feverish state lasts 2-3 days, then the temperature returns to normal. A week later, the cycle repeats.
- Lyme borreliosis is accompanied by a slight increase in body temperature of the victim, necessarily in conjunction with other symptoms: chills, joint pain, headache.
- Monocytic ehrlichiosis causes an increase in temperature 8-14 days after infection, the fever continues for about 3 weeks.
- Granulocytic anaplasmosis causes fever 14 days after infection.
The occurrence of at least one of the above symptoms is a reason to consult a doctor.
How to remove a tick
If a tick is found stuck to it, it is necessary to remove it promptly, while trying not to damage its belly. Otherwise, the risk of infection from it increases significantly. It is not easy to tear off the pest; when sucking, they release a special substance that sticks the proboscis to the skin.
- First of all, you need to shake the body of the tick a little, this will destroy the adhesive layer between it and human skin.
- With the help of tweezers, a special device, a loop of thread, you need to grab the pest as close to the head as possible and gently pull. Hand movements should be perpendicular to the surface of the skin at the site of the bite.
The most important thing is not to damage the belly of the pest. Otherwise, the sucked blood with possible pathogens will go directly into the wound. Touching the tick with your hands is also not recommended, you need to use gloves, a handkerchief.
Prevention after a tick bite
After removing the pest, the wound is washed with soap and water, then treated with iodine or brilliant green. If the head remains in the skin, then it can be removed, acting similarly to the principle of removing splinters, using a sterile needle.
For several days, there will be redness around the wound, which will disappear in a week. This is a normal reaction of the body. But if the trace does not pass, but increases in size, then the likelihood of infection is high. And you need to get tested.
Tick bite - treatment
A live tick can be tested to exclude the possibility of infection, but a blood test of the victim will give a more accurate result. If the test results confirm the presence of one of the dangerous diseases, then you should immediately contact a medical institution for the introduction of immunoglobulin and other medical procedures. The earlier the disease is detected, the greater the likelihood of a mild course of the disease.
To minimize the likelihood of infection even with a pest bite, timely vaccination helps, which is carried out, including the recommendation to wear light-colored closed clothing and use special sprays, ointments from various types pests.
Typical bite zones are areas of skin hidden under clothing:
- bending of the elbow area;
- limbs;
- groin area.
Mechanism of skin spot formation
The suction zone after a bite is manifested by painful discomfort and the formation of redness with a rounded shape and pronounced boundaries of hyperemia. With a normal recovery, these phenomena disappear spontaneously within a few days after the bite. With the use of antihistamines, redness disappears much faster.
Specific features of the spot
Features of the skin reaction, with the penetration of the causative agent of Lyme pathology, have the following indicators of difference:
- Infection with borreliosis (erythema) is characterized by the formation of a spot after a tick bite, which does not appear immediately, but only a week after the incident;
- The bite site has characteristic differences, representing the formation of specific erythema in the form of a spot that systematically grows in size, reaching a circle of up to 60 cm in diameter.
- The outlines of the spot are rounded, oval, or it may have irregular and indistinct borders.
- After some time, the contours of the spot begin to gradually rise above the surface of the integument, while their shade becomes intensely red.
- When the spot after a tick bite stops growing, its central area acquires a shade of blue or gradually turns white.
- After a day, it becomes in the form of an oval elevation or, and a scar and a cortical layer of tissues form on its integument.
- After two weeks, the bite marks completely disappear.
Characteristic signs and atypical outcome of the spot
If the spot after a tick bite does not go away on its own, this may indicate the attachment of an infection in the affected area and the development of local inflammation with a complication in the form of a purulent process. In this case, it is necessary to consult with a specialized specialist to exclude the development of aggravating consequences.
The danger of conditions after infection
In the most deplorable case, when an infected insect bite occurs, a person has a very high risk of developing a serious illness. One of them is the tick-borne form of encephalitis. With a fast-flowing process, it leads to damage to the nervous network and the development of an inflammatory process affecting the brain tissue. In this case, the consequences may be disability or the complete cessation of human life.
As a complication of a bite, Lyme pathologies, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis are much less common. Borreliosis causes damage to the nervous, cardiac, immune and propulsion systems organism, while the pathogen is not always determined by laboratory methods. In the absence of timely therapeutic measures, the process of damage passes into a protracted, sluggish form, provoking the development of consequences that are irreparable for the body.
Mid-spring is the beginning of the peak season for the activation of ticks, from the attack of which no one is immune, therefore it is important to know the signs of a tick bite in a person in order to carry out emergency prevention or preventive treatment. Everything you need to know about the signs of a bite, the consequences, methods of treatment and prevention - in our article.
- taiga Ixodes Persulcatus;
- European forest Ixodes Ricinus.
The absence of eyes is compensated by a highly developed sense of smell and touch, the increased sensitivity of these organs enables the animal to respond with lightning speed to the proximity of the victim. During feeding, the back of the body of females stretches, allowing them to absorb a volume of blood many times greater than the body weight of a hungry individual. Males are less bloodthirsty: males stick for a short time, making up for the deficiency of nutrients.
VIDEO: How ixodid representatives of the fauna attack
Tick attacks: features
If bitten by a tick, characteristic symptoms in humans appear only after a certain time. How serious the consequences of an attack by a blood-sucking relative of insects can be is determined by a number of key points:
The reaction to a tick bite depends on the combination of the above conditions. The consequences of an arthropod attack are diseases of natural foci, including infection:
- encephalitis;
- borreliosis - neurological syndrome of Lyme disease;
- typhus, relapsing fever;
- hemorrhagic fever;
- Q-fever;
- tularemia;
- monocytic erchiliosis.
The attack of the female and male is equally dangerous. The attack of the male is short-term plus painless, so the wound is difficult to notice immediately. Cases of infection with encephalitis, when the victims deny the possibility of contact, are a good example of a male attack.
Ticks in humans suck blood, plunging the head into the skin, pre-cutting the layers of the dermis, injecting an anesthetic along the way, fixing themselves inside by means of a hypostome - a special outgrowth resembling an anchor.
- abdomen
- neck/nape/ears;
- waist / back;
- chest;
- armpits;
- groin.
The result of a tick attack is a microtrauma of the skin. A tick bite, symptoms are manifested by the development of an inflammatory process due to the action of the components of the animal's saliva. The most "harmless" consequences are local allergic reactions, accompanied by redness of the suction area. When the effect of the anesthetic wears off, the skin begins to itch.
After an attack by a carrier of borreliosis, the bite site acquires a pronounced reddish tint, caused by intense expansion of the capillaries. After a while, an additional bright red border appears around the round or oval spot, the area inside turns blue or white.
A swelling after a tick bite or the formation of a bump-shaped seal is due to two reasons:
- allergic to the composition secreted by the salivary glands. Signs of a tick bite in an allergic person are determined by the degree of aggressiveness of the allergens secreted by the saliva of the animal plus the individual immune response;
- improper removal of the arthropod - part of the proboscis remains inside. The immune system recognizes a foreign protein compound, including a defense mechanism, the body reacts with swelling of the affected area, an abscess may occur.
Even when you are sure that the attacked tick is 100% a carrier of pathogens, the first signs appear only after a certain period of time.
Symptoms of an arthropod lesion
Outwardly, the first signs of a tick bite appear:
- headache;
- chills, fever;
- the development of tachycardia, lowering blood pressure;
- vomiting;
- deterioration in general well-being, apathy;
- swelling of the affected area;
- muscle weakness, numbness of the limbs;
- difficult breathing;
- decrease/loss of appetite;
- photophobia - painful perception of bright light by the eyes.
Rare cases of allergic reactions are accompanied by Quincke's edema, temporary paralysis.
The latent period of borreliosis, ehrlichiosis, encephalitis, anaplasmosis is a month. The tumor after a tick bite can hold on long time. The absence of temperature is a favorable sign. The beginning of the inflammatory process and the formation of an abscess becomes a reason to see a doctor. Self-manipulations - cauterization, heating, the use of ointments, are fraught with complications, consultation of a specialist is necessary.
VIDEO: Tick bite, what to do and how to prevent
Encephalitis: alarming symptoms
There are no characteristic signs of a tick bite in humans, confirming one hundred percent infection with the disease. Only laboratory staff will be able to confirm or deny the fact of infection of the bloodsucker. An attack by an infected arthropod implies the gradual multiplication of pathogens, given the absence of pronounced manifestations of the disease. The primary signs of an encephalitic tick bite in humans will appear after 8-10 days. The presence of immunodeficiencies, chronic diseases can accelerate the development of symptoms of the disease, so the state of health worsens after 3-4 days.
The onset of any form of pathology manifests itself similarly to the flu:
- febrile state, accompanied by high temperature up to 39.9 °;
- body aches - muscle / joint pain;
- decrease in the vitality of the body;
- headache.
Active reproduction of pathogenic bacteria provokes fever, the duration of the period is 6-10 days. Possible various options development of events. A mild degree of the course of the disease implies recovery, rapid recovery of the body, and the production of antibodies that prevent re-infection. A rare occurrence is a change in the febrile form of the chronic course of the disease.
After the fever stage, a short remission may also occur, then the viral attack resumes, accompanied by similar fever symptoms. Overcoming the virus of the blood-brain barrier causes damage to the cells of the nervous system. A similar stage of encephalitis is characterized by the appearance of symptoms of meningitis. Virus attacks alternately disrupt the functioning of internal organs.
For different lesions, certain signs are characteristic:
- The meningoencephalitic form is characterized by the appearance of hallucinations, pronounced changes psyche, paralysis, paresis, epileptic seizures.
- The poliomyelitis form is distinguished by a number of signs characteristic of poliomyelitis, which causes a loss of the ability of the muscles of the neck and arms to move (paralysis).
- The polyradiculoneurotic form is accompanied by damage to the peripheral nerves, loss of sensation in the muscles of the legs, and the development of a severe pain syndrome affecting the inguinal region.
An unfavorable outcome implies a significant reduction in the patient's quality of life. The result can be a violation of the functions of the musculoskeletal system. Progressive symptoms cause epilepsy of varying severity, hyperkinesis, pronounced mental disorders, severe asthenia - a person becomes disabled.
First aid
It is forbidden to pull the bloodsucker, use gasoline, kerosene, oil, vinegar, flooding the affected area with chemicals. Such manipulations are fraught with the death of the animal, relaxation oral apparatus, getting the full amount of dangerous microbes into the blood, increasing the risk of developing diseases.
The wound will need to be treated with an antiseptic composition, minimizing the intensity of the manifestation of characteristic signs of damage. Edema appeared, breathing became difficult - it is advisable to make an intramuscular injection of Prednisolone.
The ideal option is to examine a living individual through microscopy, finding out whether the victim was attacked by a sterile or infected individual. The damaged body is also covered with ice, delivering to the laboratory specialists. Employees of Rospotrebnadzor are engaged in research, address lists contain relevant sites.
Prevention and treatment of infections caused by blood-sucking arachnids
Symptoms and treatment of encephalitis exclude antibiotic therapy, meaning:
- compulsory hospitalization;
- bed rest, including a period of fever plus the entire following week, after the disappearance of acute influenza symptoms;
- the appointment of prednisolone, ribonuclease, rheopolyglucin, polyglucin, hemodez;
- the manifestation of signs of meningitis is eliminated by increased dosages of preparations containing vitamin B, ascorbic acid;
- breathing difficulties are facilitated by the use of IVL methods - intensive ventilation of the lungs;
- restorative therapeutic measures include courses of anabolic steroids, nootropics, and tranquilizers.
Treatment of Lyme borreliosis requires the mandatory use of antibiotics to help stop the negative effects of infection, quickly reducing the activity of spirochetes - the main causative agents of the disease. When the infection provoked a violation of the functions of the nervous system, the patient requires mandatory hospitalization.
VIDEO: How to properly remove a tick from a person
Basic principles of drug therapy
- To prevent the initial signs - the formation of a characteristic reddish spot, tetracycline drugs are called - antimicrobial agents that can effectively treat infections of various origins. The use of bacteriostatic agents helps to minimize the complications of late stages.
- The development of the neurological syndrome of tick-borne borreliosis is stopped by courses of intravenous injections of antibiotics of the penicillin group, cephalosporins.
- The disturbed water balance is restored by the use of saline, vitamins, prednisolone, agents that stabilize the circulation of the brain blood, and the use of anabolic steroids.
You need to know the following facts:
- Vaccination against encephalitis is guaranteed to protect against the disease.
- After 10 days, a blood test is carried out using PCR methods. Polymerase chain reaction reveals microorganisms that provoke the development of encephalitis, Lyme borreliosis.
- Two weeks later, a study is performed to determine the presence of antibodies that prevent infection with encephalitis.
- A month later, the presence of Lyme borreliosis antibodies can be detected.
The choice of antigenic material for vaccination, shown to any person who is a resident of a disadvantaged region, who has a profession that requires frequent stay in a forest area, includes several types of vaccines produced by Russia, Switzerland, Germany.
Vaccination with human immunoglobulin - payable service. Free administration of gamma globulin is shown to individuals, according to the conditions of the encephalitis treatment program provided for by the voluntary medical insurance policy.
Russian-made vaccines
- The use of a concentrated culturally purified inactivated dry vaccine is indicated for children who have reached the age of four. The developer is the M.P. Chumakov Institute.
- The introduction of the drug Encevir, produced by the research and production association Microgen, is allowed from the age of 18 years.
Vaccines from the Austrian manufacturer BaxterVaccine AG
- the use of FSME-IMMUNE Injection is indicated for the age category 1-16 years;
- FSME-IMMUNE Junior is used similarly.
German preparations
- vaccine Encepur for children, allowed from the first years of life;
- use of Encepur adult, indicated from 12 years of age
Vaccinations are made by everyone interested, given the absence of contraindications. Primary vaccination can be given to children during the first year of life, preferably using imported drugs. A timely vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis is an effective preventive measure to minimize the symptoms and consequences of a tick attack.
VIDEO: What to do if bitten by a tick
Which are common in central Russia, in the forest among the foliage and on garden plots, i.e. wherever there is any planting. They belong to the order of small arachnids (lat. Acarina), a subclass of arthropods. before the bite is usually 0.4-0.5 mm, occasionally it can reach 3 mm.
Lyme disease or borreliosis
The disease is transmitted by bacteria that cause intoxication of the body. Incubation period: 5-14 days, the disease passes in several stages, the primary symptoms are similar to a cold, and then a latent form occurs, passing for several months, during which the joints and important organs of a person are affected.
Signs of infection are expressed as follows:
- a sharp increase in temperature;
- pain in the head, constant fatigue;
- the tick bite site is swollen and reddened, then a specific erythema 10-20 cm in size appears, which gradually swells and transforms from a red spot into a ring up to 60 cm in diameter, in the center its color changes to light bluish;
- after a few days, a crust or scar forms, which disappear after 12-14 days.
Such a disease after a tick bite causes damage to the nervous, cardiovascular and motor systems, which can lead to disability.
Hemorrhagic fever
The disease is transmitted by a virus, the main symptoms of which are: a sharp rise in temperature and the onset of fever, hemorrhages in upper layers skin, changes in the blood composition of the victim. Experts divide the disease into 2 types: Omsk and Crimean fever. Timely diagnosis and treatment of a tick bite (antiviral drugs, vitamins for blood vessels) help to successfully cope with such an ailment.
On a note!
The carriers of these diseases are not all "bloodsuckers" who encroach on human blood, but only 10-20% of them. But some specimens can become carriers of several infections at once, the most common of which is tick-borne encephalitis.
Symptoms of other infectious diseases
- jumps in blood pressure, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat);
- plaque on the tongue, runny nose, sore throat;
- nausea and vomiting;
- an increase in lymph nodes and the appearance of rashes on the face are signs of typhus;
- nosebleeds, diarrhea and abdominal pain - indicate infection with tularemia;
- increased sweating, chills, pain in the lumbar region, loss of consciousness are signs of hemorrhagic fever.
It is impossible to recognize a tick and determine by eye whether it is contagious or not. To clarify the diagnosis, it is necessary or a sanitary and epidemiological station to determine the presence of pathogenic pathogens. If the analysis is positive, then it is urgent to consult a doctor about treatment.
If any unpleasant symptoms appear and you feel worse when you are bitten by ticks or after them, you should contact a general practitioner or an infectious disease specialist at a polyclinic, in a serious condition, call an ambulance.
What to do if bitten by a tick - instructions
After returning from a walk in the woods or a summer house, it is imperative to examine yourself, family and friends so as not to miss a tick that has settled on the leg or other parts of the body. When found, you need to quickly .
The tick bite site is usually painted in pink-red shades, which depends on the individual reaction of the victim's body. In the center there is a small depression in which you can find a stuck tick on the human body. It is held very tightly, so it is impossible to extract it in the usual way without tearing off its head or proboscis. If any of its parts remain under the skin, then an inflammatory process can begin in the damaged area and the bite heals for a long time.
For this, the following steps will be useful:
- Wash your hands with soap.
- Treat the wound with a disinfectant: alcohol, hydrogen peroxide.
- It is not recommended to apply coloring agents (brilliant green or iodine) so as not to change the picture of the affected area.
- If an allergic reaction is likely to occur, apply any soothing ointment: Fenistil-gel, Panthenol, Rescuer cream, etc.
- If there is a rash after a tick bite or another individual reaction, then an antihistamine should be taken: Diazolin, Tavegil, Loratadin, Erius, Tsetrin, etc.
- Drink plenty of fluids, bed rest is recommended in the early days.
Tick bites in children
All of these actions increase the risk of human infection with bacteria and infectious diseases, lead to purulent processes in the epidermis.
Bite Prevention
In order not to think about whether a tick has bitten or not, and what consequences this may lead to when visiting a forest, park or cottage, you should take preventive measures that will protect children and adults from such a problem:
