Small bloodsuckers and peddlers of the most dangerous diseases in nature are most active in spring and summer. It is necessary not only to remember what to do if a tick has bitten, but also be able to defend itself from attack. Precautions will help to make outings safe, because there is little joy when a walk in the forest leads to a hospital bed.
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Tick attack and bite symptoms
Small bloodsuckers await animals and people on blades of grass and leaves, cling to wool, clothing, hair. "Hunting" will be successful only if they find an open area of the body and introduce their proboscis deep into the skin of a warm-blooded creature.
Encephalitis tick is not a separate species or subspecies of animals. This is the collective name for dog and taiga ticks (lat.Ixodes ricinus, I. Persulcatus). Spread infections from 5 to 60% of the Ixodidae family.
Favorite places on the human body for sucking ticks:
- inner thighs;
- axillary hollows;
- the area on the back below the shoulder blades;
- in the inguinal folds;
- on the scalp and neck;
- under the knee;
- on the buttocks.
After absorption of blood, ectoparasitis is easier to notice on the skin: its abdomen increases significantly (tens of times).
If a person is bitten by a tick, then the moment of suction itself goes unnoticed, does not cause pain.When saliva is injected into the dermis, painkillers, vasodilators and other substances that facilitate blood supply enter the dermis. Then there is a swelling and redness around the bite site. These are symptoms of an allergic reaction that quickly go away.
Every fourth patient who visited a doctor with signs of tick-borne encephalitis did not feel a bite. This happens in cases where the sucking ectoparasite quickly fell or was not seen on the body. Up to 30% of people bitten by encephalitis ticks do not notice any signs of the disease.
Tick-borne diseases and their symptoms
The ixodic intestines are a reservoir for many dangerous pathogens. Among viruses, bacteria and protozoa, there are pathogens of human and domestic animals. Infection occurs at the time of a bite, when ectoparasite injects saliva into a puncture of the skin. Common features of transmitted infections: seasonality and acute onset.
| Pathogens | Diseases |
|---|---|
| TB virus | Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) |
| Parasitic bacteria of the genus Borrelia | Tick-borne tick-borne borreliosis |
| Rickettsia | Tick-borne spotted fever |
| Ehrlichia bacteria | Ehrlichiosis |
| The simplest clan Babesia | Babesiosis |
Infection of a person with one or more pathogens occurs when a parasite bites. There are other ways to transmit the infection.
Taiga ticks most often carry TBE and borreliosis.
Tick-borne encephalitis
Viruses are transmitted to a person at the moment of suction of an infected tick, less often - when unboiled milk is eaten from an infected cow or goat. The incubation period with a bite is from five to twenty five days, with an alimentary transmission method - no more than three days.
First, the prodromal stage develops, manifested by flu-like symptoms.
Signs of tick-borne encephalitis:
- chills, fever within 2 - 10 days (38 - 40 ºС);
- headaches of varying intensity;
- redness of the face, neck and shoulders;
- fatigue;
- dizziness;
- insomnia;
- nausea;
- runny nose
- vomiting
The febrile form of TBE is easier. The above symptoms are observed for several hours or days. The patient's condition begins to improve rapidly after establishing a normal temperature.
Lyme Disease
It is interesting: Lyme disease - what is it
Bacteria of the genus Borrelia may be present in the saliva of ixodid ticks. The disease that they cause was described in 1975 in children from the city of Lyme (USA). Only 1-6% of people bitten by infected ticks develop borreliosis.
Symptoms of the initial stage of the disease:
- chills, fever up to 40 ºС;
- muscle and joint pain;
- swollen lymph nodes;
- drowsiness;
- nausea.
A patient with tick-borne tick-borne borreliosis is not contagious to others.
Pathogenic bacteria multiply in the deep layers of the dermis, lymph nodes. Spirochetes then enter the bloodstream within 10 to 24 hours. After another 1 to 4 weeks, a typical sign of Lyme disease appears - migratory erythema. This is an expanding ring on the skin with a pink center and a red border. The diameter of this primary spot is from 10 to 50 cm.
Tick-borne spotted fever
All diseases of the group begin with chills, intoxication, headache and joint pain. A painless seal forms around the place where the tick sucked. After four days, rashes form, most noticeable on the limbs. Spots and papules do not itch, disappear after a week.
Ehrlichiosis
Erlichia - microorganisms that are close in structure to rickettsia. They cause flu-like illnesses that occur with fever. The incubation period is from 1 day to 3 weeks.
Babesiosis
The disease often develops in old age after being bitten by an infected tick. Symptoms: fever, enlarged spleen and liver. People with a strong immune system do not notice the symptoms of babesiosis.
Infection diagnosis
When a patient is suspected of CE, they pay attention to characteristic symptoms.Usually appear: fever, headaches, paresis. Viruses are detected using enzyme immunoassay (ELISA), polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
If you bring a live tick removed from the skin to a medical laboratory within 24 hours, then pathogens can be found in its saliva.
- Borreliosis Specialists using PCR detect the human material of Borrelia in human blood. Erythema with tick-borne borreliosis develops only a few weeks after a bite. Infection is confirmed when antibodies are detected in the blood of a person that are produced in response to borrelia toxins.
- Lyme disease. The disease is established without supporting laboratory test data with a proven bite of an ixodid tick and the appearance of a typical migratory erythema after 5 to 28 days.
- Tick-borne spotted fevers. Their diagnosis is based on the collection of data on staying in a natural focus, the appearance of fever, a characteristic compaction at the site of suction of the tick, the development of a rash. Using ELISA detect antibodies to antigens of pathogens.
- Babesiosis The clinical diagnosis of babesiosis is difficult, as the disease is rare. Should alert the signs that occur after a tick bite. This is a prolonged fever, anemia, enlarged liver. The causative agent is detected under a microscope in a blood smear.
What to do after removing the tick
A parasite that sticks to the skin is in no way crushed. They take off very carefully so that the head does not come off. The tick after removal from the skin is placed in a jar and taken to the laboratory of the Epidemiology Center to identify pathogens.
It is impossible to distinguish infected ticks from uninfected ticks in appearance.
A live parasite can only be stored in the refrigerator for 2 days. The laboratory examines the presence of pathogens of living ticks that are not oiled with oils or other substances. Professionals can determine if salivary pathogens are present.
If a TBE virus is found in the mite brought in the laboratory, then the victim should contact the infectious disease specialist. The patient is given an anti-encephalitic immunoglobulin.
First aid for a bite
The bloodsucker is removed from the skin using special tweezers or removed with your fingers wrapped in gauze or another clean cloth. Ticks are not pulled, but "twisted" together with the proboscis. It is necessary to disinfect the wound in order to prevent inflammation and suppuration. Use alcohol, iodine tincture, cologne.
If a child is bitten by a tick, then the baby, if a black-gray “drop” is detected, tears it off. The parasite's head remaining in the skin looks like a black poppy seed.
The bite site is treated with iodine tincture, after which the remains of the tick disappear.
Antiseptic treatment will not help avoid infection by tick-borne infections.
Pathogens penetrate the dermis along with particles of parasite saliva. The skin at the site of the bite can immediately become inflamed. A red or pink spot appears with a diameter of up to 1.5 cm. This is an allergic reaction, but not yet a symptom of borreliosis. An antihistamine is taken to reduce itching and redness. Children older than 1 month old are given drops of Fenistil. The skin can be lubricated with a gel of the same name.
Scientists at the University of Munich have proposed a new method for the treatment and prevention of Lyme borreliosis. They tested it on laboratory animals, conduct clinical trials and with the participation of people. Researchers have proven that applying a gel with an antibiotic azithromycin to a bite can kill an infection before it enters the bloodstream.
Treatment of victims
If there is a fever and headache after a tick bite, you should make an appointment with a therapist. The doctor directs for a study to determine the infection. A blood test is taken at different intervals, which are based on the development cycles of viruses or bacteria. The purpose of treatment depends on the results.
In the first days after a bite, an anti-tick-borne immunoglobulin is administered to the victim to avoid the serious consequences of TBE infection. In Europe, this drug is no longer available. Tick-borne immunoglobulin in Russia is used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes.
- “Iodantipyrine”, an interferon inducer, has activity against the pathogen CE. The drug is prescribed 2 to 3 days after treatment with anti-tick-borne immunoglobulin. Recombinant interferons increase the protective properties of the immune system.
- Lyme disease is treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Oral forms - at the stage of erythema. Doxycycline, amoxicillin, azithromycin are used, in the following stages ceftriaxone and cefotaxime.
- At the same time, symptomatic therapy is prescribed: analgesics, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, cardiac, antihistamines, general strengthening drugs, B and C vitamins. Use NSAIDs: Arthrosan, Diclobene, Naklofen, Ortofen, Metindol.
- Tick-borne spotted fevers are treated with tetracycline antibiotics, fluoroquinolones or macrolides. Ehrlichia susceptible to tetracyclines, chloramphenicol.
- With babesiosis, clindamycin and quinine are prescribed.
Consequences and Complications
Areas of increased risk of meeting with the ixodidae - forest zone, Siberia, the Far East. Ticks infected with TBE can make up from 20 to 50% of the total number of representatives of this group.
The infection is transmitted through donated blood, to the fetus - in the womb, to the infant - with infected milk.
For the meningeal form, severe headaches are characteristic. The causative agents of CE affect the gray matter of the brain and the meninges, cause paresis, paralysis, muscle atrophy, and pain along the nerves. The most severe conditions are noted in elderly patients. The frequency of deaths in Europe is 2%, in the Far East - up to 25%.
Borrelia get into the organs of the body with blood flow, affect the joints, nervous system, heart. Late access to medical care damages the brain and spinal cord. Neuritis, muscle paralysis, Lyme arthritis occur. The disease is most severe at the age of 60 - 65 years. Chronic inflammation leads to the fact that a person remains disabled.
Ehrlichia multiply in the internal organs, which leads to inflammatory processes. Mortality from an infectious disease ranges from 3 to 10%.
Prevention methods
A person who undergoes CE acquires a stable immunity. Immunization gives the same effect.
Vaccinations are recommended for all people living in high-risk regions. The vaccines FSME-Immun Injection and EnceVir, which are produced in Russia, are used. The preparations contain inactivated and purified antigens of TBE viruses and protect only from this infection.
A vaccine to prevent Lyme disease has not yet been created. Borreliosis is successfully treated with antibiotics, especially with early detection of the disease.
Treatment of the skin with DETA repellents that repel arthropods will help avoid infection. Acaricides (pyrethroids) that destroy ticks can be applied to outerwear, boots, bags, and tents. In spring and summer, it is necessary to inspect the skin in order to quickly remove parasites. The most effective method of preventing tick-borne encephalitis is vaccination.
