Everything you wanted and didn't want to know about ticks

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Almost everyone wants to look pretty and attractive, especially girls, especially when it's warm. Almost everyone prefers a minimum of clothing, a relaxed atmosphere and nature. But insects are also attracted to naked legs, floral scents and delicate skin. Remember this and that you do not want some tiny substance to ruin your life. Ignorance is better for the psyche, but it can turn out to be a serious problem in the end.

Delusion and ignorance

I learned about ticks (forest) at the age of 13 and began to be afraid, because they were only frightened and no one had any useful information. There are legends about them among the people even today. At least one friend of mine found a tick on himself every year. Father almost every summer brought them on birch brooms to the dacha and periodically on himself. I have never been a victim of them, did not take any precautions, dragged flower bouquets from the forest, had no idea what ticks looked like, and saw it only 20 years later on the Internet.

What I knew before: they live on birches, run fast, presumably they can jump and even fly. They jump from above (obviously, you can only jump from a birch). If the tick has already dug in, the bite should be greased with sunflower oil so that the tick begins to suffocate and crawl out on its own, and there you are already, waiting with a cotton swab. They are attracted by light-colored clothing. Encephalitis or paralysis is almost unavoidable.

All of this is not true. Some hospitals may still advise you to use oil. Almost any source of information is the word "no" without any explanation. And the biggest problem is the panic that happens when someone finds a tick on themselves, knowing only gossip about it.

Even if you think that you know all decay, read this article.

Who do ticks love?

Various terrestrial vertebrates - birds, reptiles, mammals (and therefore us) and amphibians.

What ticks eat

Blood. The tick needs blood at all four stages of its development after hatching from the egg. A tick can live for more than two years and if it does not find a host, it will die. But he can live two years without food. Most species prefer to change the type of host at each stage, so the peaks of activity of their attacks on humans fall off seasonally (the most dangerous periods for humans are late spring and summer).

Where and how ticks hunt

They react to breath, animal odors, heat, moisture and body vibration. Some people recognize shadows. They climb on grass or low bushes and are there on alert, with their front legs apart. Not all species do this. They do not jump or fly, only crawl and very slowly (I suspect that they can be carried away by strong winds, so beware of encephalitis vortices … just kidding). Having caught on the body, wool or clothing, they begin to crawl in search of delicate skin. Some bite almost immediately, but there is always a chance that they will crawl and search.

Deciduous forests with tall grass are the most convenient territory for them, just tall and dry grass without a forest is also (and do not forget: animals and birds carry them, so those who raise livestock and work in the forest are at greater risk). They can be brought home with forest and wild flowers, branches.

How do ticks eat?

• Once on the skin, they crawl from 10 minutes to two hours and prepare to dig in (the time depends on the stage of their development and type).
• Having cut through the host's skin, they insert their proboscis. Many species release a special cement-like substance that holds them securely in place while they are in the process. The proboscis itself can have peculiar teeth, which also help to fix the tick.
• The saliva of many mites contains a substance that acts as an anesthetic and anti-inflammatory agent. A person or animal cannot feel the bite, and the mite remains in the skin until it is saturated.
• They can feed for several days, slowly sucking blood (males and females do this at different times).
• After the tick is full, it usually falls off on its own and prepares for the next stage of life.

Why ticks are dangerous

Tick saliva can contain pathogens (viral or bacterial infections). The saliva of an infected tick is dangerous if it enters the bloodstream, and the contents of the intestines are also dangerous. But not all ticks are carriers of the pathogen. If the host is himself a carrier of some kind of blood infection, the tick will pick it up (they can carry up to 10 infections). Borreliosis, encephalitis, hemorrhagic fevers are the most common. Very rarely, unboiled milk from mite-infected cows or goats can be dangerous to humans.

Symptoms vary depending on which pathogen the tick has infected. It is possible to understand that an infection has occurred only after eight days to two weeks (in very rare cases - after 2-3 days). This is an incubation period and will most likely be asymptomatic.

When infected with the encephalitis virus after the incubation period, an increase in temperature is possible, which lasts from two to four days and sometimes reaches 39 ° C. It is at this time that the virus can be found in the blood.

Symptoms may resemble flu or colds: headaches and muscle aches, malaise, nausea, and vomiting. With such symptoms, you need to see a doctor immediately, if you did not do it right away. Further, neurological symptoms may appear, and strong inflammatory processes of the brain may begin. With borreliosis, there may be an allergy, a rash.

The body's reactions are different. Sometimes the immune system can cope with viruses on its own, and against bacterial infections with the help of antibiotics. If a person gets sick with encephalitis, he develops a strong and long-term immunity.

The mortality and disability rate of infected people is very low. You can view. But do not neglect the different means of protection.

What to do if a tick has stuck

Remove it as soon as possible. Don't panic, but don't hesitate. I don't really want to mention this, but you can often hear advice to see a doctor for removal. If you are sure that the help will be qualified - ask for it. It may take a long time, and time is more important.

1. Prepare cheesecloth, paper or tweezers (better to use finely sharpened at the ends), see the instructions for removing the tick. Wear gloves if available. Prepare a jar of damp paper or cotton wool (if you plan to carry the tick for analysis).
2. Try not to break the proboscis and do not take the tick by the abdomen (even with tweezers): you can crush it and infect the wound yourself, or it can "vomit" into the wound from pressure (it is not dangerous from the outside and may not have isolated anything yet). The tick doesn’t screw into the skin, so just pull it out, but don’t twist or wiggle it (it’s tiny, and it’s very easy to damage its body with metal - this is a priority reason). If, nevertheless, a part breaks off and you cannot remove the proboscis with clean forceps, then you need to treat the wound with alcohol or iodine and let it heal. By picking up the wound harder, you can make the situation worse by smearing the fluids secreted by the tick.
3. Wipe the wound with alcohol, iodine, or wash with soap and water. After that, wash your hands with soap and tweezers. The wound heals for about a week, sometimes a slight redness appears around the bite (local reaction).
4. If you do not carry the tick for analysis, burn it or place it in alcohol (disinfectant), and then flush it down the toilet.
5. If you have a weakened immune system or a serious immune disorder, you should see your doctor immediately to avoid the consequences.

What not to do if a tick has stuck

1. Setting fire, lubricating with oils, varnish, liquid soap and other liquids - this will cause panic in the tick, it can release more saliva, defending itself and trying to get out. Most likely, he will die, and in case of death, he may regurgitate the contents of the intestines.
2. Press with bare hands, throw out the living.
3. Wait for him to crawl out himself.

Post-bite blood test

for borreliosis and encephalitis not earlier than after 10 days. Two weeks after a tick bite for antibodies (IgM) to tick-borne encephalitis virus. For antibodies (IgM) to borrelia (tick-borne borreliosis) - in a month. Monitor your body temperature, health, and digestion.

If redness begins to appear at the site of the bite, especially diverging in circles of different brightness, it is necessary to pass the analysis. This is most likely a reaction to Borrelia. Tick-borne borreliosis in the early stages is treated very quickly.

You can find out the addresses of laboratories and points for the prevention of tick-borne infections in Russia.

Medicines after a bite

Doctors may prescribe antibiotics for borreliosis. If encephalitis is suspected in the first three days after the bite, immunoglobulin is usually given to maintain immunity (do not experiment with immunoglobulin at home, a strong allergic reaction may occur to it, including suffocation).

Tick analysis

You can analyze the tick for your own reassurance and for entering it into statistics. It is important to know that only a live tick is accepted for analysis. Do not waste time if you accidentally crushed it, break it or flooded it with some kind of liquid. For two days, the tick can be kept in a jar of damp cotton wool or paper in the refrigerator. In some large cities there is (hypersensitive diagnosis of infections). If you know for sure that you can go there, then bring the remains of the removed tick. Frozen ticks may not be tested either.

Clothes, shoes, repellents

Ideal hiking clothing:

• dense,
• made of smooth material,
• with few folds,
• light and plain,
• covering the whole body, with tight elastic bands on the sleeves and trousers,
• a hood or headscarf.

Shoes are high boots.

You will look stylish in such clothes. If you have the patience, check yourself and loved ones every two hours.

Apply repellents. It is advisable that they are against ticks (see instructions carefully). This is the type of protection that will bring the most confidence and calmness. Acaricides applied to clothing are more toxic. Do not apply them to the skin and, if possible, do not use on animals. Spray outdoors and leave the clothes to air out afterwards. Don't forget about allergies, even if you've never had one.

After visiting forests, lakes, rivers and grassy parks, inspect yourself and the children. Take a shower and wash your clothes if possible (hot water is best) if you haven't used repellents. In children, it is worth examining the armpits, head, folds of arms and legs, wrists, areas behind the ears and the ears themselves, waist and navel.

Dogs and cats

Animals often cling to ticks imperceptibly, especially long-haired ones. Repellents are also available for dogs. There is no vaccine. If you notice that the dog has lost activity, appetite and is behaving strangely, it may have a tick. Unfortunately, they show up late, after a week or three and later. If you find a tick on your pet, remove it according to the same rules as in humans. Secure the fur around the bite with something to make it easier to remove the tick.

Cats are very sensitive even to repellents, so check with your veterinarian.