Ticks: types, features, lifestyle and danger to humans

The onset of spring brings not only excellent weather, outdoor picnics and walks, but also such an unpleasant phenomenon as the activation of ticks. Ticks are small arthropods from the order of arachnids that have lived on the planet for several million years. Since they live mainly in the soil, the period of their activity occurs when it warms up to +5 degrees. Many of the representatives of this subclass are carriers of severe diseases such as tick-borne typhus, encephalitis and borreliosis. The number of species of mites is amazing and is recorded at approximately 50 thousand, but researchers divide the subclass itself into three groups: harvest mites, parasitiform and acarimorph mites.

Types of ticks

For many, “ticks” are only those that live in the forest and bite animals and people. But in nature there are a huge number of ticks, divided into species and differing in diet and lifestyle. We will now look at some types of mites. The classification of mites distinguishes three independent orders.

Grasshopper mites
is a species of arthropod that lives in the tropics and subtropics. The name comes from the structure of the hind legs, which, with their long and massive appearance, resemble haymakers. The tick itself reaches a size of up to 3 mm and is considered one of the largest among its fellows. His head is combined with his chest, forming a single part, separated from the belly. The diet of such mites includes fungal spores, pollen and other smaller insects.
Parasitiform mites
are the most dangerous species, including parasites of vertebrates, predators, and saprotrophs (organisms that serve to destroy the remains of living beings). It is these ticks that are carriers of diseases, in most cases leading to disability or death.
Acarimorphic mites
- this largest group includes about 15 thousand species, half of which parasitize vertebrate animals. This explains their diet - skin, hair, feathers. The size is extremely small, usually does not exceed 0.3 mm, however, not only the head, but also the abdomen is divided into segments. This group also includes disease carriers, but in smaller numbers.

In addition to the three main and collective groups into which scientists classify ticks, there are many other species. Let's look at the most common ones:

Ixodid ticks
in most cases they are carriers of encephalitis. Particular activity occurs in May-July; insects live in grass or bushes and it is from the vegetation that they fall on humans. Moving from below, the tick looks for a suitable place with thin skin, most often the wrists, neck, and head.
Read also: How to get rid of mosquitoes at the dacha: working methods for protecting and exterminating mosquitoes on the site
Argasid mites
They differ from other species in that they hunt all year round. They live in dark and hard-to-reach places, such as nests, caves and various cracks. If there is a lack of blood intake, argasid mites hibernate. However, it only takes them half an hour to be completely saturated with blood, and only a minute to infect a victim with a serious disease.
Subcutaneous mites
live under human skin, as their name suggests. They develop and live under the skin for quite a long time until they are hatched, feeding on dead cells. Acne, itching and severe redness occur at the affected areas. Infection occurs from carriers of the disease through towels, touches and personal hygiene items.
Scabies mites
capable of moving from animal to person, causing a disease such as scabies. Infection from other people through household items, especially bedding and combs, is also common.
Bed dust mites
live in pillows, blankets and mattresses, feeding on dust and exfoliated particles of dead epidermis. They do not feed on human blood and are not capable of biting. It is impossible to see dust mites with the naked eye; they are microscopic. Very often they are confused with bed bugs, which feed on human blood.
Spider mites
They live on plants, feed on their sap and entangle them in their web. Plants wither and die if measures are not taken in time.

Biology 7th grade “Ticks”

Report on the topic "PICKS"

Erofeev A. 7BM

A subclass of arthropods from the class of arachnids. The largest group in the class: more than 54 thousand species are currently described, including 144 fossils.

Ticks are small arthropods from the order of arachnids that have lived on the planet for several million years. Since they live mainly in the soil, the period of their activity occurs when it warms up to +5 degrees. Many of the representatives of this subclass are carriers of severe diseases such as tick-borne typhus, encephalitis and borreliosis. The number of mite species is amazing and is recorded at approximately 50 thousand, but researchers divide the subclass itself into three groups: harvest mites, parisitoform mites and acarimorph mites.

Types of ticks

Grasshopper mites

is a species of arthropod that lives in the tropics and subtropics. The name comes from the structure of the hind legs, which, with their long and massive appearance, resemble haymakers. The tick itself reaches a size of up to 3 mm and is considered one of the largest among its fellows. His head is combined with his chest, forming a single part, separated from the belly. The diet of such mites includes fungal spores, pollen and other smaller insects.

Ixodid ticks

in most cases they are carriers of encephalitis. Particular activity occurs in May-July; insects live in grass or bushes and it is from the vegetation that they fall on humans. Moving from below, the tick looks for a suitable place with thin skin, most often the wrists, neck, and head.

Argaceae

Ticks differ from other species in that they hunt all year round. They live in dark and hard-to-reach places, such as nests, caves and various cracks. If there is a lack of blood intake, argasid mites hibernate. However, it only takes them half an hour to be completely saturated with blood, and only a minute to infect a victim with a serious disease.

Subcutaneous

Mites live under human skin, as their name suggests. They develop and live under the skin for quite a long time until they are hatched, feeding on dead cells. Acne, itching and severe redness occur at the affected areas. Infection occurs from carriers of the disease through towels, touches and personal hygiene items.

Scabies

mites are capable of moving from animal to person, causing diseases such as scabies. Infection from other people through household items, especially bedding and combs, is also common.

Bed dust

mites live in pillows, blankets and mattresses, feeding on dust and exfoliated particles of dead epidermis. They do not feed on human blood and are not capable of biting. It is impossible to see dust mites with the naked eye; they are microscopic.

Very often they are confused with bed bugs, which feed on human blood.

Arachnoid

Ticks live on plants, feed on their sap and entangle them in their webs. Plants wither and die if measures are not taken in time.

Tick habitats

Ticks live in almost every corner of the world, with the exception of the most northern latitudes. Ground ticks prefer high humidity, so most often they live near water, in bushes, mosses, animal burrows or grass and fallen leaves. There is an opinion that ticks live in trees and can fall on top of their prey at any moment. This is not true, because ticks are not able to climb to a height of more than a meter, so they prefer to hunt from the grass, from the branches of low bushes, such as blueberries, or from fallen leaves. This is why you should be wary of “halts” while hiking. Most often, ticks wait for their prey in paths on the grass or near a forest road. But in a pine forest, where the humidity is much lower than deciduous and mixed forests, it is almost impossible to encounter ticks. The preference of ticks for a warm place of residence is also proven by their distribution in barns with bakery products or grain, apartments and even deep layers of human skin. Can ticks jump and fly? None of the tick species can fly, so there is no need to fear an attack from the air. Can ticks jump from tree branches and bushes? No, they are not capable of jumping. Their main way of attacking a victim is to cling to it. Ticks do not prefer to climb to a height above one and a half meters, but this is quite enough for them. In the event of a threat, such as a fire, the ticks simply detach from a branch or blade of grass and simply fall down. Some might call it a jump, but it's just an uncontrolled fall down.

How do ticks reproduce?

and lay eggs? Reproduction of forest ticks occurs after full saturation. After fertilization, the female must feed on blood for about 10 days to produce offspring. At one time, she is capable of laying 5,000 eggs, which in the first stages after birth are located on low plants. Then, after the larvae emerge, they need to find a host - a vertebrate animal that will supply them with blood. This is what will allow the larvae to turn into nymphs (more adult individuals).

The growth doesn't stop there. To become an adult, ticks again need to find a victim and drink blood. The period during which the parasite grows from a larva into an ordinary adult tick is determined by two years. Under favorable conditions, it is reduced to 5-6 months.

Mouthparts and feeding habits

mites Special devices help mites absorb food: chelicerae, or clawed tentacles, which crush food, and pedipalps, which are used for chewing food. In arthropods that feed on blood and plant juices, the limbs are modified: the pedipalps are fused and perform the function of piercing the skin or outer shells of plants, and the chelicerae form a proboscis with serrations for reliable attachment. All this is a piercing-sucking oral apparatus. Ticks that feed on solid food (flour, seeds) have gnawing mouthparts. The chelicerae are transformed into claws, and the pedipalps perform their original function of chewing. According to their feeding method, ticks are divided into two types:

Saprophages

- individuals that feed on the remains of organic matter. This includes plant sap, rotting organic remains, millet, flour, particles of exfoliated human epidermis, as well as subcutaneous fat;

Predators

– ticks attach themselves to vertebrates and feed on their blood. They can live up to 3 years without food, but still constantly lie in wait for the victim and wait for an opportune moment. How does a tick attach itself and where does it bite most often? The process of ixodid tick attachment to a victim is divided into two categories: passive and active. The first involves the tick living in grass, bushes or near paths, where many people or animals accumulate. Without wasting any effort, the tick, having found its future owner, attaches itself to it. But this only happens in cases where a person’s legs are open, because the tick attacks from below. However, clothes are not a hindrance to him - the tick makes its way up it, finding an open area of the body. The second method of attack is active. It is built on an instinctive level, since the tick senses its victim and makes its way to it in all possible ways. Following his incredibly acute senses, he makes his way closer to the grass, crawling onto it, and waits for the approach of a person or animal. When the victim approaches the optimal distance, the tick, spreading its two front legs with claws forward, clings to the fur, skin or clothing. If the target is lost, but the tick, driven by hunger and instinct, continues to pursue it.

The picture shows the most favorite places where ticks bite.

The areas with the thinnest and most delicate skin seem to be the most attractive for ticks to bite. As already mentioned, these include the neck and head. But you should also pay great attention to examining the groin area, armpits, chest and abdomen, because most ticks acutely sense the smell of sweat, which attracts them very much. Having suffered from a tick bite, it is impossible to say for sure that there will be no further serious consequences. The thing is that many representatives of this species are carriers of diseases that are terrible for humans.

The most serious include encephalitis, Lyme disease, and ehrlichiosis.

(Lyme disease)

Relapsing tick-borne fever, tularemia, babesiosis, and spotted fever are also common. All diseases transmitted by ticks entail an extremely serious condition, often resulting in disability and an extremely long rehabilitation period, and sometimes death. Lyme disease - symptoms, consequences, treatment Lyme disease (tick-borne borreliosis) is provoked by the bite of a tick, which carries a spirochete and is called ixodid. Infection occurs when saliva from an infected arachnid enters a wound on the skin. There are also cases when a person himself, while scratching his skin, rubs in an infection from a crushed tick. The main symptom after injury is a red spot, the surface of which rises above other areas of the skin, with a white center, which then turns into a crust and a scar. Within 1.5 months, disorders of the nervous system, cardiac apparatus and joints appear. Paralysis, insomnia, depression, and hearing loss are common. The outcome of this disease is usually not fatal, but the effects on the heart can be serious. To treat Lyme disease, experts prescribe antibiotics (from 2 weeks); in more severe cases, they are administered intravenously.

Encephalitis - symptoms, consequences, treatment Encephalitis is one of the most serious diseases, which is an acute disorder in the brain. Its cause lies in the immune system, which mistakenly attacks its own tissues. Encephalitis ticks live in many forests in Europe and Russia, but refusing to visit them is not guaranteed to save you from the disease - ticks are often hidden in branches and fur. Surprisingly, even after drinking the milk of an infected cow or goat, a weak body can become infected with encephalitis. The virus spreads within 1.5 weeks, affecting the gray matter of the brain, accompanied by convulsions, paralysis of either certain muscles or entire limbs. After damage to the entire brain, severe headaches, vomiting, and loss of consciousness are observed. The consequences are very serious - disability and, in frequent cases, death. To treat encephalitis, doctors prescribe intravenous immunoglobulin, and antiviral drugs are required for prevention.

How to protect yourself from ticks? There are several simple rules that everyone can follow to avoid tick bites: clothing that securely covers all parts of the body, especially arms and legs; headdress; closed and high shoes, or trousers tucked into them; Light-colored clothing, which makes it easier to see ticks; treating exposed skin with repellent; examining yourself and loved ones every half hour; refusal to collect flowers, branches and plants. Repellents Repellent is a type of tick repellent. The spray can be sprayed not only on clothes, but also on the skin, but you need to make sure that it does not erode and repeat the procedure again. Particular attention should be paid to the areas of the armpits, abdomen, neck and wrists - most often ticks choose them to bite. Of course, this remedy is not an exact guarantee that all ticks will bypass a person, but still, the use of repellents significantly reduces the likelihood of being bitten. Acaricidal agents These agents are the most powerful and effective. The substance used in the spray affects the nervous system of the tick, causing its limbs to go numb. But we must remember that acaricidal agents are extremely harmful to the skin and, moreover, they should not be inhaled. Adults are advised to treat their clothes, but never wear them, wait a while for everything to dry completely, and only then put them on. One spraying with such an acaricidal spray gives an effect for about two weeks. Insecticidal-repellent agents This type is considered the most convenient and reliable, because it combines two agents together, which means it not only repels ticks, but also paralyzes them. The convenience is that the product can be applied to skin and clothing. In addition, the drugs fight not only ticks, but also other blood-sucking insects, which also has its own benefits - mosquitoes will not bother you. Vaccination Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis, the most severe disease transmitted by ticks, is carried out so that the human immune system can recognize the virus and begin to fight it. First, you need to contact a therapist who will tell you where it is best to perform this procedure. It is important to note that this can only be done in hospitals that are licensed to provide this type of vaccination. If the drug is stored incorrectly, the vaccine is useless and sometimes dangerous. In Russia, drugs of domestic, German and Austrian origin are used.

What does a tick look like?

All these types of ticks look different. Only a few small individuals reach a size of 4 mm, but generally their average size is 0.1-0.5 mm. The body is of two types: an fused head and chest, turning into the abdomen, and a body with a hard shell.

Animal ticks do not have eyes, but are endowed with a sharp sensory apparatus that allows them to perfectly navigate in any space. It is important to note that, like other representatives of arthropods, ticks do not have wings, so they are not able to fly or jump.

Tick habitats

There is an opinion that ticks live in trees and can fall on top of their prey at any moment. This is not true, because ticks are not able to climb to a height of more than a meter, so they prefer to hunt from the grass, from the branches of low bushes, such as blueberries, or from fallen leaves. This is why you should be wary of “halts” while hiking.

Most often, ticks wait for their prey in paths on the grass or near a forest road. But in a pine forest, where the humidity is much lower than deciduous and mixed forests, it is almost impossible to encounter ticks. The preference of ticks for a warm place of residence is also proven by their distribution in barns with bakery products or grain, apartments and even deep layers of human skin.

There's nowhere to hide

Ticks are the most numerous representatives of their class. In total there are more than 54 thousand species. And new ones are constantly being added to the existing ones. So, in 2006, a graduate student at Moscow State University found previously unknown oribatid mites that lived 6 thousand years ago. And recently, scientists from Tyumen University discovered a new species of this group of arachnids in South Africa. The discovered mites feed on fungi and spread by attaching themselves to the body of termites.

According to researchers, termite mounds in South Africa as a habitat for arthropods have not been particularly studied, so this is probably not the last interesting find Photo: www.zadumka.org

Without exaggeration, you can meet ticks everywhere: even in the Arctic and Antarctic, where they parasitize penguins and other birds. There are also aquatic species, the victims of which are insects and bivalves. What allowed ticks not only to survive for so long, but also to multiply to incredible numbers? Their amazing ability to survive.

Thus, Discover published an article about the experiment of Yasuhito Ishigaki from Kanazawa Medical University. He photographed the moving mites using a scanning electron microscope.

To obtain an image on this device, small arthropods had to be first dried, coated with metal, and in the microscope itself they were in a vacuum and subjected to “bombardment” of high-energy electrons. Few would withstand such conditions, but the ticks in the video are cheerfully “waving their paws.”

Ishigaki o.

People started talking about adaptation of animals in vacuum conditions after experiments on tardigrades. These microscopic invertebrates, which are closely related to arthropods, show amazing endurance, surviving in extremely low temperatures, high pressure, radiation and outer space. But in order for their superpowers to work, tardigrades need to go into suspended animation, while ticks survive in their normal state. Photo: itd0.mycdn.me

Can ticks jump and fly?

None of the tick species can fly, so there is no need to fear an attack from the air. Can ticks jump from tree branches and bushes? No, they are not capable of jumping. Their main way of attacking a victim is to cling to it. Ticks do not prefer to climb to a height above one and a half meters, but this is quite enough for them. In the event of a threat, such as a fire, the ticks simply detach from a branch or blade of grass and simply fall down. Some might call it a jump, but it's just an uncontrolled fall down.

How do ticks reproduce and lay eggs?

Reproduction of forest ticks occurs after full saturation. After fertilization, the female must feed on blood for about 10 days to produce offspring. At one time, she is capable of laying 5,000 eggs, which in the first stages after birth are located on low plants. Then, after the larvae emerge, they need to find a host - a vertebrate animal that will supply them with blood. This is what will allow the larvae to turn into nymphs (more adult individuals).

Life expectancy, life cycle of ticks

Some ticks live for several days, while others take weeks from birth to death. But there are also long-livers. Their stay on earth is counted in years. These species include ixodid ticks.

Development cycle of red mites (Entrombieula batatas): 1—egg; 2 - prelarva; 3 - larva (left - hungry, right - engorged); 4 — protonymph in the resting phase; 5 - deutonymph; 6 — tritonymph (imago-chrysalis) in the resting phase; 7 - adult form (imago).

Mouthparts and feeding habits of ticks

Special devices help ticks absorb food: chelicerae, or claws, which crush food, and pedipalps, which are used for chewing food. In arthropods that feed on blood and plant juices, the limbs are modified: the pedipalps are fused and perform the function of piercing the skin or outer shells of plants, and the chelicerae form a proboscis with serrations for reliable attachment. All this is a piercing-sucking oral apparatus.

Ticks that feed on solid food (flour, seeds) have gnawing mouthparts. The chelicerae are transformed into claws, and the pedipalps perform their original function of chewing.

According to their feeding method, ticks are divided into two types:

Saprophages
are individuals that feed on the remains of organic substances. This includes plant sap, rotting organic remains, millet, flour, particles of exfoliated human epidermis, as well as subcutaneous fat;
Predators
- ticks stick to vertebrates and feed on their blood. They can live up to 3 years without food, but still constantly lie in wait for the victim and wait for an opportune moment.

Tick-borne diseases

Having suffered from a tick bite, it is impossible to say for sure that there will be no further serious consequences. The thing is that many representatives of this species are carriers of diseases that are terrible for humans. The most serious include encephalitis, Lyme disease, and ehrlichiosis. Relapsing tick-borne fever, tularemia, babesiosis, and spotted fever are also common. All diseases transmitted by ticks entail an extremely serious condition, often resulting in disability and an extremely long rehabilitation period, and sometimes death.

Lyme disease - symptoms, consequences, treatment

Lyme disease (tick-borne borreliosis) is caused by the bite of a tick that carries a spirochete called ixodid. Infection occurs when saliva from an infected arachnid enters a wound on the skin. There are also cases when a person himself, while scratching his skin, rubs in an infection from a crushed tick. The main symptom after injury is a red spot, the surface of which rises above other areas of the skin, with a white center, which then turns into a crust and a scar.

Within 1.5 months, disorders of the nervous system, cardiac apparatus and joints appear. Paralysis, insomnia, depression, and hearing loss are common. The outcome of this disease is usually not fatal, but the effects on the heart can be serious. To treat Lyme disease, experts prescribe antibiotics (from 2 weeks); in more severe cases, they are administered intravenously.

Encephalitis - symptoms, consequences, treatment

Encephalitis is one of the most serious diseases, which is an acute disorder in the brain. Its cause lies in the immune system, which mistakenly attacks its own tissues. Encephalitis ticks live in many forests in Europe and Russia, but refusing to visit them is not guaranteed to save you from the disease - ticks are often hidden in branches and fur.

Surprisingly, even after drinking the milk of an infected cow or goat, a weak body can become infected with encephalitis. The virus spreads within 1.5 weeks, affecting the gray matter of the brain, accompanied by convulsions, paralysis of either certain muscles or entire limbs. After damage to the entire brain, severe headaches, vomiting, and loss of consciousness are observed. The consequences are very serious - disability and, in frequent cases, death. To treat encephalitis, doctors prescribe intravenous immunoglobulin, and antiviral drugs are required for prevention.

Bite and diseases

A tick bite is not only unpleasant in itself, as it is accompanied by itching, burning, redness of the skin at the site of the lesion, but its main danger is that various diseases and infections can be transmitted with it, including:

Lyme borreliosis
tick-borne encephalitis
epilepsy and hyperkinesis
arthritis
nephritis
indigestion
pneumonia or pulmonary hemorrhage
arterial surges

pressure and arrhythmia

What does a tick bite look like? Like this.

How to protect yourself from ticks?

There are several simple rules that everyone can follow to avoid tick bites:

clothing that securely covers all parts of the body, especially arms and legs;
headdress;
closed and high shoes, or trousers tucked into them;
Light-colored clothing, which makes it easier to see ticks;
treating exposed skin with repellent;
examining yourself and loved ones every half hour;
refusal to collect flowers, branches and plants.

Repellents

Repellent is a type of tick repellent. The spray can be sprayed not only on clothes, but also on the skin, but you need to make sure that it does not erode and repeat the procedure again. Particular attention should be paid to the areas of the armpits, abdomen, neck and wrists - most often ticks choose them to bite. Of course, this remedy is not an exact guarantee that all ticks will bypass a person, but still, the use of repellents significantly reduces the likelihood of being bitten.

Acaricides

These remedies are the most powerful and effective. The substance used in the spray affects the nervous system of the tick, causing its limbs to go numb. But we must remember that acaricidal agents are extremely harmful to the skin and, moreover, they should not be inhaled. Adults are advised to treat their clothes, but never wear them, wait a while for everything to dry completely, and only then put them on. One spraying with such an acaricidal spray gives an effect for about two weeks.

Insecticidal and repellent agents

This type is considered the most convenient and reliable, because it combines two products together, which means it not only repels ticks, but also paralyzes them. The convenience is that the product can be applied to skin and clothing. In addition, the drugs fight not only ticks, but also other blood-sucking insects, which also has its own benefits - mosquitoes will not bother you.

Vaccination

Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis, the most serious disease transmitted by ticks, is carried out so that the human immune system can recognize the virus and begin to fight it. First, you need to contact a therapist who will tell you where it is best to perform this procedure.

It is important to note that this can only be done in hospitals that are licensed to provide this type of vaccination. If the drug is stored incorrectly, the vaccine is useless and sometimes dangerous. In Russia, drugs of domestic, German and Austrian origin are used. The advantage of foreign vaccines is that they have much fewer contraindications and side effects.

Ancient as the world

Many people think that ticks are insects. Not at all. Their closest relatives are scorpions and spiders, and together they form the class of arachnids. And this group of arthropods appeared long before dinosaurs - about 400 million years ago.

It’s hard to believe that they are related to scorpions, but they and ticks actually had a common ancestor living in the ocean. In addition, both mainly feed on liquid food: the tick feeds on blood, and the scorpion feeds on the insides of victims liquefied with the help of poison Photo: wnature.net

For a long time, the oldest fossil mite found was a 42-million-year-old Baltic amber specimen. But in 2001, scientists from the American Museum of Natural History made an amazing discovery. They discovered an individual almost twice as old: a tick, or rather its larva, only 520 micrometers long, who lived between 90 and 94 million years ago. According to Hans Klompen of Ohio State University, the fossil's puzzle lies in two rows of three dozen tiny hairs on its back.

“It’s surprising because at this stage mites usually have much less hair throughout their body. Therefore, we can say that the life period of the found specimen is the evolutionary starting point for all mites.”

By the way, Carios jerseyi – that’s the name of the discovered species – showed similarities with a group of ticks that often “travel” on birds. This fact, combined with a small feather from an unknown bird found in amber, led Klompen to believe that this is how the tick got to New Jersey. Photo: www.scientificamerican.com

But this record was also broken. The oldest trace of tick activity was found in 2016 in China. Paleontologists from Russia and France spotted an oribatid mite on the imprint of a Carboniferous insect. The age of the find is staggering - 320 million years. Interestingly, these discoveries prove: already in ancient times, ticks “rided” on birds and insects, that is, they used the same settlement strategy as today.

What should I do if bitten by a tick?

If a tick is found on the skin, you should immediately go to the nearest emergency room, where first aid will be provided, and the parasite should be submitted to the laboratory to find out whether it is a carrier of diseases.

If there is no hospital nearby, then you need to, following all the rules, remove the tick yourself. The parasite stays on the skin for half an hour to two hours, so during this time it can be detected and removed. Under no circumstances should a tick be crushed or pulled out; only twisting it will help get rid of it.

How to remove a tick?

The most effective methods for removing ticks:

Using ordinary tweezers or a clamp, you can remove the tick from the skin by twisting it, but without squeezing it too much;
with a strong thread - you need to tie it in a knot as close as possible to the tick’s proboscis, and then, shaking and pulling upward, remove the animal;
clean fingers.

After removing the parasite, the wound must be disinfected with iodine or brilliant green, and the hands must be washed again with soap.

Should you go to the doctor after a tick bite?

Definitely yes. If possible, you should immediately contact a specialist to remove the tick from the skin and then examine it. Any emergency room, on-duty surgeon or infectious disease specialist will do, who will perform the procedure and also reliably disinfect the bite site.

Ways of infection with tick-borne encephalitis

Tick-borne encephalitis is an acute viral disease primarily affecting the nervous system. The most significant changes occur in the brain. That is why the disease is called “encephalitis” (encephalon in Greek means brain), and the ending “itis” means the development of an inflammatory process.

Humans are infected with encephalitis through the bite of pasture ixodid ticks. The disease has a clearly defined seasonality, which is due to the spring-summer activity of vectors.

If a tick infected with the tick-borne encephalitis virus has attached itself to a person, the first signs of the disease appear within 7-14 days from the moment of attachment. I am worried about headaches in the frontotemporal region, lethargy, weakness, mild pain in the lower back, arms, and sometimes in the legs. In acute cases, the disease begins suddenly, with a sharp increase in temperature to 39-40°. Redness of the skin and visible mucous membranes is often observed. Meningeal symptoms occur as the meninges become irritated and the neck and arm muscles become stiff.

The disease occurs with high fever for 5-8 days. In the case of a severe course of the disease, on the 2-3rd day signs of focal damage to the nervous system are detected - weakness in the muscles of the arms and neck, a crawling sensation and numbness in them. Subsequently, these muscles become thin and “lose weight.” Some patients experience seizures, blurred vision and hearing.

Partial or complete restoration of muscle function develops slowly over 3-5 years. With deep disorders, the restoration of motor function in patients occurs insufficiently, and they remain disabled for life.

Any person who is temporarily or permanently in places where tick-borne encephalitis is registered can become ill. Most often, people whose profession is related to working in the forest get sick - employees of forestry enterprises, forestry enterprises, chemical forestry enterprises, geologists, surveyors, biologists, and signalmen. Cases of the disease have also been reported among fishermen and hunters. The incidence of tick-borne encephalitis among tourists and people vacationing in the forest has increased noticeably. There are known cases of ticks being carried into rooms with bouquets of flowers. They can move from the clothes of one person to the clothes of another who has returned from the forest. Sometimes ticks crawl from cows to milkmaids during milking. But in all cases, infection occurs only with the participation of a tick infected with the encephalitis virus.

There is another way of infection - drinking raw milk from goats that graze in places where there are a lot of ticks.

You can get tick-borne encephalitis if you try to crush ticks with your fingers, the skin of which has microcuts or cracks.

Susceptibility to tick-borne encephalitis varies from person to person. In natural foci of tick-borne encephalitis, local residents get sick much less often than newly arrived people. Long-term residence in a natural focus is accompanied by the emergence of immunity (immunity) to the disease in people. This is due to the fact that local residents often visit forest areas - in order to collect medicinal herbs, early berries, prepare brooms, fishing, etc. and are often exposed to ticks. With such repeated, albeit short-term, suctions, small doses of the virus can enter the human blood, which do not cause disease, but contribute to the formation of antibodies to this virus in the blood. The accumulation of antibodies ensures a decrease in susceptibility to encephalitis. If such people become infected, the disease occurs in a mild form, without severe complications, and after recovery, the body develops immunity to encephalitis, which lasts for a long time, fifteen years or more, and sometimes for life.

All age groups are susceptible to tick-borne encephalitis, but children, especially schoolchildren, are more often affected.

The duration of blood sucking is of great importance. The earlier a tick is detected and removed, the less virus enters the human body.

Ticks: description, types, what they look like, features and lifestyle