What are ticks?

Ticks are arthropods from the Arachnid or spider class, order Acarina or mites. Their head, chest and abdomen make up one whole. They need blood for development and reproduction, so they parasite warm-blooded animals (birds and mammals, and sometimes humans) temporarily or permanently. They are dangerous for humans because they can transfer various contagious diseases agents from the animal they previously feed on. Fortunately, not every contact means transfer because most ticks never really settle in the skin and drop from the body. Also, not all ticks are infected with harmful microorganisms which may harm humans, but only one small portion on a very small area.

Where are they found and when do they appear?

Ticks are widespread in the nature. Temperature and moisture are very important for their activity so they are most numerous and most active in the spring and in the beginning of the summer (May – June), and rarely in the autumn. We don’t normally encounter ticks in the winter (November - March) unless it was a warm and snow-less winter. They are found in the surface parts edges or forests, in shrubbery, thickets and high grass. In the continental parts of our country, the most common tick is the forest tick (Ixodes ricinus) while the most dangerous one of coastal areas is the canine tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus).

How do they recognize our presence and who do they attack?

Ticks don’t hunt their victims; the victim must pick them up. It climbs to the top of grass or branches and waits for its victim to approach. Ticks are blind, but they do have whiskers with chemical sensors on their front legs so they can detect the faintest temperature changes, movements and odors. That’s how it detects its victims and attaches to the using its legs once transferred. The victims are usually small forest mammals and birds, and humans as well. Upon transfer, ticks usually move around the body in search of the best place to pierce the skin with its sharp snout and suck the blood. Those are, most commonly, warm and moist body parts with thin skin for example: creases, scalp, armpit, below breasts, around the navel, crotch, on the head and behind the ear.

Which diseases are transferable by ticks?

Most tick transferred diseases are mild and treatable at home. Only a small number of cases warrant a medical intervention and hospital treatment either due to the need of an intravenous therapy or due to complications or serious consequences.

Most common tick transferable diseases are:

• tick-borne encephalitis (meningitis)
• Lyme Borreliosis (Layman disease)

Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral brain and meninges inflammation. The disease manifests seven days after the sting of an infected tick. The initial phase of the disease is similar to the flu (raised body temperature, weakness and headache), and then, after ten days, neck stiffness, vomiting and intense headaches start and indicate the onset of meninges inflammation. Rarely, brain inflammations occur with characteristic signs of the disease: vertigo, fatigue and muscle weakness. Treatment is provided in a hospital, especially in the case of more severe cases.

Lyme Borreliosis (Layman disease) is caused by the spirochete Borreliom burgdorferi. The disease usually starts with changes to the skin, most commonly in the feet region near the point of the tick sting. It is the usual redness which spreads around the sting. In addition to that, the general signs of the disease appear: raised body temperature, headache, muscle pain, itches and pain at the sting location. That is usually how the disease ends. If it spreads, it affects the nervous system and causes serious neural damage and even meninges and brain inflammation. Sometimes, inflammations of the heart muscle of joints occur with serious consequences. The disease is and must be treated with antibiotics. There is no vaccination against this disease for now.

What to do after being stung by a tick and when to report to a doctor?

Tick sting doesn’t necessarily mean infection. So it is not necessary to go to a doctor after every contact with ticks – it is enough to remove it from the skin. It is important to remove the tick as soon as possible – the risk of infection is higher if the tick remains on the skin longer. It’s useful to know that the tick spends about six hours searching for the feeding spot, and another couple of hours of drilling through the skin, which is at least 10 hours before any infection transmitting contact can be made. That means that there is time to act before the tick transfers the infection. The tick is more easily removed in the first couple of hours after the sting. If you are capable, and of good sight, you can do it yourself. If you are afraid or unable to do it, report to your doctor. If it happens that a part of the tick breaks off or remains in the skin, you needn’t worry – the most important thing is to remove the body to prevent further damage. The remaining head or snout can be removed later, by yourselves or by your doctor. For tick removal, no visits to infectologists are necessary (infectious disease specialist). However, if, within a couple of days after the sting, disease symptoms like fevers, muscle and joint pain, general weakness (similar to flu), headache, nausea, vomiting and skin changes (various forms of rash) appear, immediately consult a competent doctor in order to determine the type of the disease in a timely manner and start adequate therapy.

Procedure:

• Do not cover the tick or the surrounding skin with any products (oil, petroleum, nail varnish etc. it may cause tick spasms which increases the amounts of excreted slime and causes increased expulsion of virus or bacteria into the human organism).
• Grab hold of the tick via tweezers disinfected in alcohol or burnt in flame, directly by the skin (where the snout of the tick enters the skin).
• Be calm and take your time
• Using light pulls in more than one direction dislodge the tick from the skin
• Do not jerk, press or squeeze the tick!
• After removal, wash and disinfect the sting area and hands with water and soap.
• If the snout remains inside the skin, which appears as a tiny dark dot, it should be removed with a sterile needle. If the attempt fails, no surgical intervention is necessary since nothing can happen (it will either be absorbed or discarded by the skin).

How to protect yourself from ticks?

• Avoid tick infested areas during summer months (when ticks are most active).
• Stick to the beaten track while in the nature (shrubbery removed!). Avoid unnecessary threading through bushes, laying on the ground, placing clothes on bushes.
• Wear appropriate clothes: long sleeves and legs, bright colored (ticks more conspicuous) and closed shoes. Ticks easily attach to clothes made from woolly materials (wool, flannel) so such clothing should be avoided when going in the nature.
• Use repellents – products which repel ticks and prevent their grasp onto humans. Repellents can be applied onto exposed parts of the skin (effective for a couple of hours) and clothes. Repellent use is recommended every time you go into the nature, especially into endemic areas which are known to contain infected ticks. Each tick sting can potentially be fatal – be it the first or the hundredth one.
• Change clothes upon return from the nature and do a careful body examination (with help from another person for blind spots). It is very important to check the areas where the skin is particularly thin (armpits, under breasts, around the navel, crotch area, on the head and behind ears). The most common area of sting in children is the head because they are usually short and play in the grass more often and so they lift the tick with it upper body. Remove any ticks found as soon as possible.
• Vaccination: vaccination can prevent the development of tick-borne encephalitis after tick sting. It is important to note that the vaccination is effective only against one tick transmitted disease, not all of them. Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis is recommended to persons who frequently spend time in the nature, recreationally or professionally.