Tick bites: symptoms and diseases transmitted by the bite
Tick bites can be dangerous because they can transmit certain infectious diseases to humans, from Lyme disease to encephalitis. Their bite or sting can bring several symptoms that it is good to recognize in order to proceed with the removal of the tick and contact your doctor to avoid a worsening of the condition.
Ticks are arthropods that belong to the class of Arachnids, just like spiders, mites and scorpions. These are external parasites that can be from a few millimeters up to a centimeter in size. They have a rounded body equipped with a rostrum capable of penetrating the skin with a bite and sucking the blood of the man: for this reason, tick bites are unforgiving!
Ticks are widespread all over the world and there are about 900 different species. The one with the greatest diffusion in Italy is the so-called "wood mint" ("Ixodes ricinus"), but there are also the "Dermacentor reticulatus", the "Hyalomma marginatum" and the "Ixodes persulcatus".
Let's find out together how the bite of this insect can happen, what are the symptoms of tick bites, which infectious diseases are transmitted and how to remove these parasitic animals from our skin.
How do ticks behave? How does the "bite" happen?
Ticks go through four different stages in their life cycle: from egg they become larva, then nymph and finally adult. The passage from one stage to the next (with the exception, of course, for the first) requires a blood meal, which can belong to the same guest or to different guests. The blood meal is also necessary for adult females to be able to release the eggs.
The host-body can be of very different species: from dogs and deer to humans. The tick can remain attached to the skin for a few hours, or even for days or whole weeks! Usually, tick bites are more frequent in the hot months, when the temperature is higher and there is more humidity: with the cold they tend to take refuge in the walls or underground, in the vegetation.
In fact, ticks prefer grassy places, but the important thing is that there are hosts to parasitize! It is no coincidence that it is easy to find them where there are different animals, from kennels to stables. Their bite occurs in this way: ticks lurk all around. "ends of a plant and await the passage of a possible host, be it an animal or a man. They feel its presence thanks to the carbon dioxide they emit and their heat. Tick bites consist of a real "sticking" of their rostrum into the skin: after the bite, they begin to suck blood.
What are the symptoms of tick bites?
Usually the ticks, if they are not removed, remain attached to the man for one or two days, feeding on his blood. It is not difficult to notice their presence even beyond possible symptoms: in most cases the tick is visible with the naked eye and it is good to remove it (later we will see how) as soon as possible.
After the tick has been removed, the most common symptom is a swollen, red and itchy bite mark. However, if a person does not notice that they have had tick bites, it may be more difficult to recognize the symptoms of a possible transmitted infectious disease, such as Lyme disease.
If you know with certainty that you have been stung, it is good to contact your doctor, who may ask the patient to monitor the presence of certain symptoms, such as a "redness of the skin around the bite, possible skin rashes, feelings of malaise that go from muscle aches to fever or headache.
If no symptoms appear within a month of the bite, it is likely that no infectious disease has been transmitted by ticks. However, it will be up to the doctor to decide how to proceed and whether to investigate the situation. In the meantime, here's a video on how to recognize tick bites and those of other very common insects:
What diseases do tick bites carry?
The wood tick is capable of transmitting many infectious diseases to humans. The main ones are: Lyme disease, also known as "borreliosis", tick-borne encephalitis (or Tbe); rickettsiosis (mainly transmitted by the dog tick); relapsing tick fever; tularemia; tick-borne encephalitis (or "tick-borne meningoencephalitis") and ehrlichiosis.
In most cases, an antibiotic therapy started early can solve the problem. Only in rarer cases (the Istituto Superiore di Sanità estimates about 5% of cases) can these infectious diseases in children or the elderly be life-threatening.
Lyme disease begins to appear 2-4 weeks after tick bites: the first symptom is a circular red spot that slowly expands into a real erythema called "erythema migrans". Prompt antibiotic treatment leads to improvement of symptoms within a month. If Lyme disease is not treated promptly, inflammation of the central or peripheral nervous system, or heart rhythm changes, may occur after a few weeks or even months.
Tick-bite encephalitis occurs 7-14 days after the bites. The symptoms with which it manifests are similar to those of the flu: fever, headache. fatigue, joint and muscle pain. The fever usually goes down on its own in less than a week. In about one third of the infected, a second phase of encephalitis with high fever, headache and inflammation of the brain and meninges may occur one week after healing.
Tick removal: how to do it?
The Istituto Superiore di Sanità, in case of tick bites, recommends never trying to remove them with alcohol, petrol, acetone, trichlorethylene, ammonia, oil or fat, or red-hot objects, matches or cigarettes to prevent the induced suffering from cause regurgitation of infected material.
The tick, on the other hand, must be grasped with tweezers and removed by pulling gently with a slight twisting motion. During removal it is important to be careful not to crush it, in order to avoid the transmission of pathogens. Furthermore, you must not touch the tick with your hands, which is good to protect with gloves and then wash properly. Before and after the removal of the tick it is good to disinfect the area, avoiding those disinfectants such as iodine tincture that color the skin.
Moreover, it often happens that the rostrum remains inside the skin, and in this case it must be extracted with a sterile needle. After removal, the tick is burned and it is good to carry out anti-tetanus prophylaxis. You must contact your doctor who he will certainly ask you to monitor for any other signs of infection in the following month. It will also be he who will tell you if it is appropriate to act with antibiotic therapy or not.
For more scientific information on tick bites, you can visit Epicentro, the epidemiology portal for public health.
