Tick bite - Signs And Symptoms Of A Tick Bite In Humans, Consequences And First Aid. What Does A Tick Bite Look Like?

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49

Signs and symptoms of a tick bite in humans, what to do?

Content:

• What does a tick bite look like?
• Signs and symptoms of a bite
• The consequences of a tick bite
• What to do with a tick bite?
• First aid for a tick bite
• Where to go when bitten?
• Prevention and recommendations

Blood-sucking ticks are potential carriers of pathogens of some infections that are dangerous to humans. The most famous infection of this group in Russia is tick-borne encephalitis. Borreliosis (Lyme disease), ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and a number of other diseases transmitted by ticks are also dangerous.

! Annually, up to 400 thousand Russians apply to medical institutions for tick bites, a fourth of the victims are children under 14 years old. How many tick bites citizens of our country receive during foreign travel is unknown.

The maximum number of suction is recorded in the Siberian, Volga and Ural federal districts, the minimum - in the South and North Caucasus.

Tick attacks are seasonal. The first cases of bites are in early spring with an average daily soil temperature above 0.3 ^° C, the last in late autumn. The maximum number of tick bites occurs in the period from mid-spring to the first half of summer.

Not all ticks carry infections. Free from pathogens on average in the regions of Russia are up to 80-90% of ticks.

However, the attack of sterile ticks (not carriers of infections) is also dangerous for humans! Mass suction is accompanied by sensitization (allergic reactions) of the body.

Ticks are potential carriers of one and sometimes several types of microbes and viruses. Accordingly, the carriage of one pathogen is mono-carriage, and two or more are mixed carriage. In regions with a high population density, ticks are carriers of:

• mono-infections - in 10-20% of cases;
• mixed infections - in 7-15% of cases.

What does a tick bite look like?

The tick is attached to the human body using a hypostome. This unpaired outgrowth performs the functions of a sense organ, attachment and blood sucking. The most likely place for a tick to stick to a person from the bottom up:

• groin area;
• belly and lower back;
• chest, armpits, neck;
• ear area.

During a bite, under the influence of tick saliva and microtrauma, inflammation and local allergic reaction develop on the skin. The suction site is painless, manifested by rounded redness.

The place of a tick bite in Lyme disease (borreliosis) looks characteristic - in the form of a specific spotty erythema, which increases to 10-20 cm in diameter (sometimes up to 60 cm). The shape of the spot is round, sometimes irregular oval. After a while, an elevated outer border of intense red color forms along the contour. The center of erythema becomes cyanotic or white. The next day, the spot looks like a donut, a crust and a scar are formed. After two weeks, the scar disappears without a trace.

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Video: bitten by a tick, what to do? Urgent care:

Signs and symptoms of a tick bite in humans

A tick bite is not accompanied by pain in humans. A sucked tick is able to remain unnoticed for a long time.

Signs of a tick bite appear after two to three hours:

• weakness, drowsiness;
• chills;
• aching joints;
• photophobia.

The brightness of the bite signs depends on:

• the number of sucked ticks;
• the individual characteristics of the human body to which the tick has sucked.

Strong manifestation of signs of a bite should be expected in the elderly, children, persons with a history of chronic diseases, allergies and immunodeficiency conditions.

The first symptoms of a tick bite:

• hyperthermia up to 37-38 ⁰ C. against the background of a decrease in pressure and tachycardia;
• tachycardia (more than 60 beats per minute);
• itching and rash;
• lymphadenopathy (enlargement of regional lymph nodes).

The first sign of a tick bite

Finding a sucked tick on the human body is, of course, the very first and most important sign of a bite. The tick usually bites in areas with delicate skin, with a developed capillary system. It is possible for ticks to suck at two age stages - an imago (adult form) and / or a nymph (one of the larval forms). Visually, they are distinguished by the number of limbs:

• imago - four pairs of legs;
• nymph - three pairs of legs.

What other symptoms are there for a tick bite?

Strong responses of the human body to a tick bite are manifested in the form of:

• headache;
• nausea and vomiting;
• labored, hoarse breathing;
• nervous reactions in the form of hallucinations, etc.

Temperature after a tick bite

An increase in temperature in the first hours after a bite is a sign of the development of allergic reactions to the saliva of a sterile or infected tick.

After a tick bite, you need to record your body temperature every day for ten days! Fever diagnosed 2-10 days after the bite is one of the signs of the onset of infectious pathogenesis.

Features of fever in the main infections transmitted by ticks:

• Tick-borne encephalitis. A recurrent fever is characteristic. An increase in temperature 2-4 days after a tick bite. The temperature lasts about two days and returns to normal values. The temperature may rise again on the 8-10th day and other types of fevers;
• Lyme disease (borreliosis). Hyperthermia is characteristic in the middle of pathogenesis, as one of the secondary symptoms of the disease, combined with migraines, chills, muscle and joint pain;
• Human monocytic ehrlichiosis. Moderate fever begins on the eighth to fourteenth days after the bite and lasts about twenty days;
• Human granulocytic anaplasmosis. Hyperthermia is possible two weeks after the bite.

Fever is common in almost all tick-borne infections, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

The consequences of a tick bite

Possible consequences of tick-borne infections, in the form of lesions:

• nervous system - encephalitis, encephalomyelitis, various variants of epilepsy, hyperkinesis, headaches, paresis, paralysis;
• joints - arthralgia, arthritis;
• cardiovascular system - arrhythmia, surges in blood pressure;
• lungs - pneumonia, a consequence of pulmonary bleeding;
• kidney - nephritis, glomerulonephritis;
• liver - digestive disorders.

Consequences of an encephalitis tick bite

There are several options for the course of tick-borne encephalitis.

Favorable outcome:

• asthenic syndrome (chronic weakness) lasting up to two months with subsequent full restoration of body functions;
• a disease of moderate severity with recovery up to six months;
• a disease in severe form with a recovery period of up to two years without paresis and paralysis.

Unfavorable outcome:

• Persistent organic syndrome with a significant decrease in the quality of life in the form of a defect in motor functions without progression of symptoms;
• A persistent decrease in the quality of life with the progression of symptoms (continuous progression, abortive - recurrent).

Contribute to the progression of symptoms: alcohol, stress, overwork, pregnancy. Long-term persistent changes in the form of epilepsy, hyperkinesis are the reason for determining the III, II, I group of disability.

Disability is determined by a special medical commission:

• Disability group III: moderate paresis of the extremities, rare epileptic seizures, loss of work skills, a significant decrease in professional qualifications;
• Disability of the II group: severe paresis, hemiparesis in combination with epileptic seizures, marked changes in the psyche, severe asthenia, loss of work activity and the ability to self-service;
• Disability of group I: severe movement disorders, frequent Kozhevnikovskaya epilepsy (a type of epilepsy), widespread hyperkinesis in combination with epilepsy, dementia (acquired dementia), persistent loss of the ability to self-service and self-control of behavior, inability to move without assistance.

Diseases from a tick bite

Tick-borne diseases include viral, microbial (including rickettsial) and protozoal infections. Such diseases are diagnosed in almost all continents of the globe.

Human viral infections transmitted by ticks:

• Tick-borne encephalitis (territory of Russia, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland, Slovakia, Baltic countries, Kazakhstan, China, Japan, Korea, others);
• Tick-borne hemorrhagic fever (Congo-Crimean hemorrhagic fever (South of Russia, China, Serbia, Bulgaria, Central Asian countries, Congo, Kenya), Omsk hemorrhagic fever (Omsk, Novosibirsk, Tyumen, Kurgan, Orenburg regions);
• Rare tick-borne fevers (Lipovnik fever (European countries), Kemerovo fever (Kemerovo region).

Human microbial infections transmitted by ticks:

• Borreliosis (ubiquitous in Russia, Eastern Europe);
• Ehrlichiosis (Russia, Eastern and Western Europe, USA, Japan, China);
• Anaplasmosis (Russia, Europe, North America, China).

Microbial (rickettsial) human infections transmitted by ticks:

• Marseilles fever (southern Europe, South Africa, Asia, in areas with a humid hot climate, Crimea, Dagestan, the Caucasian coast of the Black Sea);
• Astrakhan spotted fever (Astrakhan, Volgograd regions, Republic of Kalmykia, west of Kazakhstan);
• Tick-borne typhus of Northern Asia (Siberia, Khabarovsk, Primorsky Krai, Northern and Eastern Kazakhstan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Mongolian People's Republic);
• Tick-borne typhus of northern Australia (Queensland);
• Smallpox rickettsiosis (found in Central Africa, Southern Europe, USA);
• Tsutsugamushi fever (Primorsky Krai, Kuriles, Kamchatka, Sakhalin, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Japan, Korea, China);
• Q fever (Regions of the Volga Region, Western Siberia, Central Black Earth Region, India, USA, France, Canada, Tunisia, Mali, Morocco, Western Ukraine, Spain, other countries);
• Tick-borne paroxysmal rickettsiosis (previously in Western Ukraine, there is currently no data on its distribution).

Tick-borne human protozoal infection:

Human babesiosis (Scandinavia, France, Germany, Yugoslavia, Poland, Russia, US East Coast).

What to do with a tick bite?

The first step is to remove the sucked tick. A live tick must be stored / moved at the ambient temperature, killed (crushed) - in a thermal container with ice.

Tests for tick infestation are carried out in Rospotrebnadzor laboratories (they are accredited and certified for the specified analyzes). In some regions, research is carried out by other laboratories, their addresses and phone numbers can be found on the Internet.

Video: how to properly pull out a tick with a thread:

Antibiotics for tick bites

Antibiotics are not always used to suppress tick-borne pathogens.

In the treatment of tick-borne encephalitis (the causative agent of the virus), antibiotics are not used.

Principles of treating a patient with tick-borne encephalitis:

• Bed rest in hospital for the entire period of fever and seven days after its end;
• In the first three days - human immunoglobulin against tick-borne encephalitis;
• Shown are prednisolone, ribonuclease, blood substitutes - rheopolyglucin, polyglucin, hemodez;
• With meningitis - increased doses of B vitamins, ascorbic acid;
• In case of respiratory failure - intensive ventilation of the lungs (IVL);
• During the recovery period - anabolic steroids, nootropic drugs, tranquilizers.

Depending on the form of tick-borne encephalitis, an antibiotic may be prescribed as an auxiliary preparation to suppress the microflora that caused complications in the lungs, intestines, kidneys and other organs. The type of antibiotic is selected by the doctor, based on the sensitivity of microorganisms to it.

When treating borreliosis (Lyme disease), antibiotics are required! They are used to suppress pathogens. Lyme borreliosis is caused by a microorganism from the spirochete group.

Principles of treatment for patients with borreliosis:

• Hospitalization is required for neurological disorders;
• At the stage of erythema (redness), tetracycline and drugs of its group are prescribed. Bacteriostatics (this group includes lincomycin, chloramphenicol, macrolides) prevent the development of later stages of the disease;
• Neurological syndrome is helped to stop intravenous injections of bactericidal antibiotics of the cephalosporin and penicillin series. The group of bactericidal antibiotics also includes aminoglycosides and polymyxins;
• Restoring water balance - blood substitutes, saline solutions, prednisolone, vitamins, drugs that normalize cerebral circulation, anabolic hormones.

As a means of etiotropic therapy in the treatment of tick-borne infections:

• viral nature (see list above) antibiotics are not used to suppress the virus, instead, the method of specific immunotherapy is used;
• bacterial nature (see list above) antibiotics are used;
• of protozoal nature (see list above) use drugs that suppress the growth and reproduction of protozoan microorganisms.

First aid for a tick bite

The victim should be helped to remove the tick, place it in an airtight container and sign the label accompanying the biomaterial sample.

The suction of a tick provokes an allergic response of the body, sometimes in the form of Quincke's edema.

Signs of Quincke's edema develop within minutes or hours in the form of:

• swelling of the eyelids, lips and other parts of the face;
• muscle pain;
• shortness of breath.

This is a very dangerous manifestation of an allergic reaction, you need to immediately call an ambulance and try to help the victim before the doctors arrive.

At home, you can do the following:

• give one of the antihistamines (claritin, suprastin, erius, telfast, zirtek and others);
• provide access to fresh air;
• enter prednisolone (dexamethasone) at a dose of 60 mg intramuscularly.

Diagnostic and treatment measures for possible infections are carried out in hospitals.

Find out more: Folk remedies for tick bites

Where to go if you are bitten by a tick?

1. remove the sucked tick;
2. submit it to an accredited laboratory to identify infectious agents by PCR (see below for how to find out the address);
3. donate blood (if necessary) for the detection of antibodies to ELISA in human serum (details below).
4. undergo a course of treatment based on the results of laboratory tests and clinical indications.

1. Remove the sucked tick

The suction of the tick occurs after it is fixed on the human body. This process takes from several minutes to several hours. Blood absorption lasts from two hours to several days. Suction is imperceptible to humans, and a tick already drunk with blood has a round shape and gray color.

The sucked tick must be removed urgently, but very carefully! It is necessary to protect its abdomen from damage and leakage of hemolymph and human blood. Hands and the wound at the site of the bite should be treated with an alcohol-containing solution (vodka, cologne, alcoholic solution of iodine or brilliant green).

Removing the tick with improvised means:

1. Throw the thread in the form of a loop around the proboscis (close to the skin), tighten and slowly pull out with swinging movements. Instead of threads, you can use nails, two matches, and other suitable items.
2. Place the tick inside a plastic bag, tie the neck.
3. Sign the package label (indicate the date, time, place of detection, full name of the person from whom the tick was removed, contacts for information on tick infestation).

Removing the tick with a special tool:

1. Use medical (manicure) tweezers or devices, (Tick Twister, Tick Nipper, Pro tick remedy, Trix, Tricked off, others);
2. Place the tick in an airtight container (medicine bottle, for example);
3. Sign the container label (see above).

If you cannot remove the tick yourself - contact the nearest emergency room, the admission department of a medical institution, a surgical clinic, or a polyclinic. The list of institutions that work around the clock and provide emergency assistance in case of tick suction can be found on the website of the territorial administration of Rospotrebnadzor in the relevant region.

2. Donate the tick to an accredited laboratory

Analyzes are carried out free of charge, but be sure to clarify this information. PCR study on the basis of ready-made diagnostic kits AmpliSens TBEV (encephalitis, borreliosis, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis), distributor of InterLabService LLC. You need to know when the results are ready. Usually the same day or the next morning.

3. Donate blood for the detection of antibodies

Within 10 days after the tick sucking, on the recommendation of a doctor, it is sometimes necessary to donate blood to detect antibodies in humans to tick-borne infections. For diagnostics, use the test system "VectoVKE-IgG-strip" JSC "Vector-Best". Analysis time: 2 hours 30 minutes.

When donating blood, it is necessary to indicate the date of vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis (if any). The presence of vaccine antibodies gives false positive results. The information provided will shorten the time to make a diagnosis and increase its accuracy.

4. Conduct immunotherapy as recommended by a doctor

Based on the results of testing the tick by PCR and / or blood serum for ELISA, on the basis of the doctor's recommendations, specific immunotherapy is carried out.

• The introduction of human immunoglobulin against tick-borne encephalitis is paid!
• Gamma globulin is administered free of charge to certain categories of citizens and on the basis of the VHI policy for the tick-borne encephalitis treatment program (be sure to contact the medical institution specified in the contract within 4 days after the bite).

The time during which a specific treatment is possible, the period, the frequency of administration of globulin should be found out from the attending physician. The address of the treatment center for encephalitis is indicated:

• in the VHI policy;
• on the bench in the laboratory.

Prevention of bites and other recommendations

The probability of a tick attack on a person depends on:

• epidemiological well-being of the territory of residence;
• profession associated with frequent presence in the forest, field;
• the likelihood of visiting unfavorable places in terms of tick-borne infections.

Prevention of the consequences associated with a tick bite is based on:

• vaccination, but this is a preventive measure, when a person is infected, it cannot be used;
• specific immunotherapy is a therapeutic measure (the introduction of immunoglobulin only in case of infection or suspected infection after a bite);
• health insurance to pay for possible treatment;
• using special clothing and devices to prevent ticks from entering the body;
• the use of agents to scare away, kill ticks;
• limiting the number of ticks in biotopes, places where people are likely to be found.

Recommendations for choosing a vaccine

Vaccination significantly reduces the risk of disease, it is indicated for all people living in disadvantaged regions, and for people professionally associated with the forest (drillers, geologists, surveyors, foresters). If desired, the vaccine can be given to everyone who is interested in it, in the absence of contraindications.

Primary vaccination is possible from the first year of a child's life, and then at any age. Adults can be vaccinated with domestic and imported drugs, children are better with imported ones. Six variants of vaccines from four manufacturers from Russia, Germany and Switzerland are available in Russia.

Tick-borne encephalitis vaccines produced in Russia:

• Concentrated inactivated vaccine, indicated for use from three years of age and older;
• EnceVir, Russia, shown from eighteen and older.

Vaccines against tick-borne encephalitis made in Switzerland:

• FSME-Immun Junior, shown from one to sixteen years;
• FSM-Immun Inject (FSME-Immun Inject), indications are similar.

Vaccines against tick-borne encephalitis made in Germany:

• Encepur Children, shown from twelve months to eleven;
• Encepur adult, indicated from twelve years of age and older.

Two vaccination regimens: preventive and emergency:

• Preventive vaccination provides protection against ticks for the first year, and after revaccination for three years. Re-vaccinations are carried out every three years.
• Emergency vaccination provides a short protective effect. Indication - urgent trips to regions unfavorable for encephalitis.

Vaccination is carried out after preliminary questioning of the patient for allergic reactions, clinical examination, thermometry. Persons with health impairments are not allowed to be vaccinated. There are contraindications and limitations.

In Russia, Human Immunoglobulin against tick-borne encephalitis is produced, produced by FSUE NPO Microgen. The drug contains ready-made antibodies to viral encephalitis. It is administered intramuscularly for treatment, usually after infection or at threat of infection. Doses and frequency of administration can be obtained from your doctor.

Recommendations for insurance of costs associated with tick-borne encephalitis treatment

It is advisable to recommend insurance as a supplement to vaccination or as the only measure if vaccination is impossible. Tick-borne encephalitis insurance is carried out within the framework of VHI - voluntary medical insurance. The payments are intended to offset the cost of treatment for tick-borne encephalitis and other similar infections. When choosing an insurance program and an insurance company, you need to pay attention to:

• the insured has permits for the execution of voluntary medical insurance;
• the cost of VHI services and the reputation of the policyholder;
• availability of documents for the right to provide medical and preventive care or an agreement with a person authorized to provide such assistance on behalf of the policyholder;
• availability of a round-the-clock free telephone line for emergency advice.

Recommendations for protection against tick attack

Going to the forest or out of town, choose suitable light-colored clothing:

• anti-encephalitis suit;
• a jacket (shirt) with long sleeves and cuffs and trousers tucked into socks;
• a hood that fits snugly around the head and protects the neck.

Every hour you need to inspect your clothes from the bottom up to identify ticks. It is recommended that you examine your body every two hours, primarily your armpits, neck, groin, chest and head. You should avoid or minimize being in tall grass at the edge of the forest, along the paths.

There are various devices on the market to prevent ticks from entering the body in the form of insecticide-impregnated mosquito nets, special shoes, clothing, and so on.

Recommendations for the use of agents for repelling and killing ticks

For these purposes, repellents and acaricides can be used.

Repellent repels ticks and insects - these products are suitable for use on exposed parts of the body and dressing. The active ingredient is DEET (diethyltoluamide).

Repellent formulations:

• Ultraton (Ultraton) USA - lotion, aerosol;
• Biban (Czech Republic) - aerosol;
• DEFI-Taiga - solution, pencil, lotion, emulsion, aerosol, balm, cream, gel;
• Off extreme - aerosol;
• Gall-RET - aerosol;
• Raptor - aerosol;
• DETA-prof - aerosol;
• Anti-mite breeze - aerosol.

Acaricides (kill ticks) - have only a contact effect. They should be used exclusively for processing outerwear fabric and anti-mite processing of territories and premises! Modern acaricides are made on the basis of permethrin and alphacypermethrin:

• Raftamide taiga is an aerosol that can be used to treat an anti-encephalitis suit, dry it and wear it over underwear with long sleeves and pants. The acaricidal effect lasts up to 10-15 days;
• Picnic Anti-mite - aerosol, apply in the same way;
• Tetrix (concentrate) - a liquid suitable for the treatment of cabins, produced in 0.25 liter bottles and 1 liter and 5 liter canisters;

On the market you can find acaricides recommended for application to the skin. But they should be used carefully - allergies and poisoning are possible.

Recommendations for the destruction of ticks in biotopes and places where people are likely to be

To prevent the spread of ticks, you should regularly:

• mowing the grass on the site (ticks guard the victim in the grass, usually at a height of 0.6 m, the maximum height is 1.5 meters; in a hungry state, ticks live from two to four years, according to some sources, up to seven years; development from egg to adult individuals - the imago takes two to three years or more);
• clean shrubs, remove fallen leaves (mites lose their own moisture in the sun, and restore balance in damp shelters);
• to destroy small rodents - hosts of ticks (the circulation of the pathogen in the wild fauna is a natural focus of infection);
• to carry out processing of places of probable concentration of ticks (ticks of the middle lane move within 5-10 meters, southern ones - up to 100 meters, guided by receptors, concentrate along paths, forest edges - in places of probable contact with the victim).

Anti-mite treatments based on knowledge of mite biology are effective when performed annually. In many regions there are organizations that carry out deacarization, deratization, disinfestation, implements equipment for mowing grass, chemicals for anti-mite treatments.

Author of the article: Danilova Tatyana Vyacheslavovna | Infectionist

Education: in 2008 received a diploma in General Medicine (General Medicine) at the Pirogov Russian Research Medical University. Immediately passed an internship and received a diploma of a therapist