How a tick breathes during a bite, or how little “vampires” manage not to suffocate during a meal
Ticks are arachnids with four pairs of legs. Usually they are about 1-1,5 cm long. After drinking blood, they can increase their size up to 200 times. Ticks firmly dig into the skin and secrete anesthetic substances, so that the bite is not felt. Sticking into the body, they are visible as a dark, slightly protruding dot with redness around it. Often people are interested in how then a bloodsucker can breathe.
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Who are ticks and why are they dangerous
Most often, ticks can be found in the forest, in the park, but recently they are increasingly found in cities. The season for these parasites starts in March/April with a peak in June/September. It lasts until November, which is probably due to the warming of the climate.
Spider-like bloodsuckers feel best in a warm and humid environment. Therefore, they are most active in the morning and also in the late afternoon. They choose places on the body where the skin is more delicate. Therefore, they are usually seen in the groin, under the armpits, on the knees and under the chest.
Diseases transmitted by ticks
The full development cycle of the parasite requires three times the consumption of the host's blood. Due to this, parasites are carriers of several dozen different pathogens that cause severe diseases in animals and humans:
- Lyme disease;
- encephalitis;
- anaplasmosis / ehrlichiosis;
- babesiosis
Other diseases that are commonly transmitted by parasites include:
- american fever;
- tularemia;
- cytauxoonosis;
- bartonellosis;
- toxoplasmosis;
- mycoplasmosis.
What does a tick bite look like on a human?
Allergic reaction:
- appears immediately after removing the parasite from the skin;
- the rim usually does not exceed 5 cm in diameter;
- tends to wear off rather quickly;
- often there is itching at the site of the bite.
Wandering erythema:
- appears only after a few days, usually 7-14 days after the tick has stuck into the body;
- grows more than 5 cm in diameter;
- has a characteristic design resembling a shooting target, in the center there is a red spot, around which there is a red ring;
- characteristic erythema, "wandering" in different places of the skin;
- fever and flu-like symptoms may also occur.
How do ticks breathe when they bite?
The respiratory organs of the tick are located on the sides of the body and are tracheal tubes through which air enters the round trunk. Two bundles of trachea depart from it, which strongly branch and braid all organs.
It is not surprising that during a bite, when the parasite has dug into the skin of a person or animal, it continues to breathe calmly. It has no respiratory organs on its head.
First aid after a tick bite
If you notice a tick on your body, remove it immediately. This is best done with narrow forceps or a professional remover, which can be purchased at a pharmacy.
Proper removal of the bloodsucker greatly reduces the risk of contracting diseases that are transmitted by some of the remaining parasite.
After removal of the arachnid, the bite site should be observed for at least 4 weeks. Erythema at the injection site, which resembles a shield and increases, is the first symptom of Lyme disease, although it does not always appear with infection.
How to pull out
Ticks should be removed as soon as possible, either by yourself or by having another person remove them. To remove a parasite that has stuck into the skin should be at a right angle, for which useful tool will be:
- tweezers;
- tweezers with a clip;
- vacuum pump for suction.
If using tweezers or other similar instrument, grab the parasite as close to the skin as possible, then gently pull it up at a right angle (90°). Do not jerk or twist the tweezers, as this increases the chance of damaging them and leaving part of the insect in the skin. After removing the parasite, disinfect the skin and destroy it by crushing it with an object, such as a glass.
What to do with a tick bite
If it is not possible to take the tick for laboratory tests, then it is better to take a blood test. How to do this correctly, we will tell below.
After a tick bite, it is recommended to drink antibiotics. For prevention, doxycycline 0,2 g is prescribed for adults, once in the first 72 hours after the bloodsucker has drunk. Children and adults for whom doxycycline is contraindicated are prescribed amoxicillin 3 times a day for 5 days.
If it has already been 2 weeks after the bite, then they are tested for antibodies to the tick-borne encephalitis virus. A blood test for antibodies to borreliosis is taken after 3 weeks.
To determine whether the bite left the consequences, you need to do a blood test for tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis by PCR. This analysis should be taken no earlier than 10 days after the parasite has stuck.
An emergency preventive measure is the introduction of immunoglobulin after the bloodsucker has stuck. It can stay on the surface of the body for a long time and breathe calmly.
Immunoglobulin must be administered within the first 3 days after the bite of the parasite. Then the virus is completely neutralized. The drug is a protein isolated from the blood containing antibodies to tick-borne infections. It is calculated in the amount of 1 ml per 10 kg of the human body.
Popular questions and answers
We answer the most common questions from readers. Bloodsuckers, digging into the body, can breathe easily, but there are a number of features that you need to know.
| What are the consequences of a tick bite? | The consequences may be different, but most often the following symptoms appear - redness of the skin and swelling at the site of the bite, fever, fever, fatigue, lethargy, drowsiness and poor health. |
| What to do if not the whole tick was pulled out | The remains of the parasite also need to be pulled out. To do this, it is necessary to treat the tweezers or needle, as well as the wound, with alcohol. Then pull out the tick in the same way as we take out a splinter. |
| How to remove ticks | It is most convenient to pull them out with tweezers. There are special tweezers with a clip to make it easier to get the parasite. If there is nothing, then you can get it with your fingers. |
| Prevention of tick bites | The only one hundred percent method of prevention is vaccination with immunoglobulin, which helps for a month. Immunoglobulin is also administered after a bite if it has already stuck into the skin. It is recommended to vaccinate during the period of the greatest activity of parasites. The course consists of two vaccinations with an interval of 1-2 months. Revaccination is carried out a year later, then every 3 years. |
| How not to get encephalitis or lyme disease | First of all, it is necessary to use precautionary measures when going to the forest, walking in the park. Wear light-colored clothing with a hood that covers the surface of the body, tuck trousers into boots, use aerosol repellents, check yourself and your friends more often, carefully examine clothes and body upon return. |
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