Where ticks stick, what a blood-drinking parasite looks like on the human body and how to detect it

Where are ticks found

Bloodsuckers live in forest areas, on lawns, in ravines and so on. Recently, more and more ticks are found in city parks, squares, and summer cottages. They wait for their prey on low bushes, grass, but never climb trees.

Where do ticks most often bite?

Studies have shown that the parasite can bite anywhere. However, their favorite are areas of the body with thin and delicate skin. A difference was noted between the choice of the bite site in children and adults, which is probably due to the difference in the growth of both - the tick crawls from the bottom up.

Adults are most commonly bitten in:

• neck
• armpits;
• area under the knee;
• elbow bends;
• stomach;
• area behind the ears.

Bites in children are most often found on the back of the neck and head. It has been observed that adult men and boys are most often bitten in the groin area.

Least of all, ticks stick to the back, palms, feet, since the skin in these areas is the thickest and difficult to bite through. And the absolute "leader" are the popliteal fossae - the skin there is thin, besides, it is easy to get there.

How does a tick bite

With special organs of the oral apparatus, he makes a puncture, is fixed in the wound with sharp teeth, inserts a proboscis and proceeds to suck blood.

What does a tick bite look like on a human?

The tick bite site does not differ from the bite of other parasites and looks like a red spot with a black dot in the middle. In some cases, the spot may change and take the form of a ring. is a specific sign of infection with Lyme disease.

Where to look for a tick on the body

The tick is not sucked immediately, therefore, when viewed, it is necessary to look for the whole body, paying attention to the places where parasites most often stick.

How to properly remove a tick from human skin

To extract the parasite, it is recommended to contact a medical institution: they will do it correctly and painlessly, and give further recommendations. There are also several methods for removing a bloodsucker at home.

When choosing any of the methods, precautions must be taken: do not put pressure on the parasite, do not make sudden movements so as not to tear or crush it.

After the procedure is completed, the wound must be disinfected with any antiseptic.

What to do if the head of the tick remains in the skin

Often, if removed incorrectly, the head of the parasite remains under the skin. This is easy to detect: a small black dot will be visible in the middle of the bite. In this case, you can try to remove it with a needle, like a splinter.

If you failed, you can simply fill it with iodine: after a few days, the body itself will reject the foreign object.

However, you should monitor the condition of the wound: in rare cases, inflammation and suppuration occur. If the bite has changed color, swelling has appeared, you should consult a doctor.

How to treat the site of a tick bite

Any antiseptic solutions are suitable for this: alcohol, iodine, brilliant green, hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine.

Where to handle a removed tick

A remote bloodsucker should not be destroyed. With the help of a special analysis, it is possible to determine whether he is a carrier of a tick-borne infection and, if the result is positive, to take preventive measures in a timely manner. The removed tick, together with a piece of damp cotton wool, must be placed in a container with a tight lid.

Possible consequences after a tick bite

As mentioned above, the bite of a bloodsucker can have serious consequences - infection with tick-borne infections. The most dangerous and common of them are described below.

Tick-borne encephalitis

The encephalitis virus penetrates the bloodstream, spreads with the lymph and bloodstream throughout the body, mainly affecting the gray matter of the brain. No changes are observed at the site of the bite, the first symptoms are usually observed 7-10 days after the attack of the parasite.

Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis

In the initial manifestations, the disease is similar to an acute cold: fever, headache, aching muscles and joints. More severe symptoms follow: headache intensifies mainly in the occipital region, depending on the form of encephalitis, cognitive impairment occurs, impaired consciousness up to coma, paresis and paralysis.

Diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis

You can suspect tick-borne encephalitis on the following grounds:

• epidemic data (visiting the forest, finding a tick on the body);
• clinical manifestations (high temperature, fever, meningeal symptom).

However, only for these reasons it is impossible to make a diagnosis, they can be associated with a tick bite (borreliosis), and have nothing to do with it (herpetic encephalitis, purulent meningitis).

The diagnosis is made on the basis of the results of laboratory diagnostics: determination of the presence and increase in the dynamics of the titer of antibodies of the IgM class and antibodies of the IgG class in the blood to the tick-borne encephalitis virus.

Treatment of tick-borne encephalitis

There is currently no specific treatment for tick-borne encephalitis. Treatment is about managing symptoms and preventing complications. Antipyretic and antiviral drugs are used. With damage to the nervous system, antipsychotics are used, diuretics are used to reduce intracranial pressure.

Lyme disease borreliosis

The causative agent of borreliosis (Lyme disease) is the Borrelia bacteria. The disease affects mainly the nervous and cardiovascular system, skin. As a rule, requires long-term treatment.

Manifestations of Lyme disease

The incubation period of the disease is 1-50 days, the first manifestations most often occur on the 10-12th day. There are 3 stages of borreliosis:

Diagnosis of Lyme disease

The following laboratory methods are used to make a diagnosis:

• PCR to detect Borrelia protein in tissues, serum and synovial fluid;
• indirect immunofluorescence reaction to detect antibodies to Borrelia;
• solid-phase ELISA for antibodies to Borrelia.

Lyme disease treatment

Treatment of borreliosis takes place exclusively in stationary conditions. Antibacterial therapy is used to combat borreliae.

Hemorrhagic fever

Hemorrhagic fevers are a group of viral diseases that cause damage to the vascular walls of the body.

Symptoms of hemorrhagic fever

Common manifestations for all groups of these infections is fever and increased bleeding. As a rule, at the initial stage of the development of the disease, the symptoms are nonspecific, but soon become more pronounced.

The main manifestations of hemorrhagic fever:

• fever;
• headache, dizziness;
• eye redness;
• blood in the stool, vomiting blood;
• hyperemia of the skin;
• muscle pain.

Diagnosis of hemorrhagic fevers

Specific diagnostics is carried out using serological studies (RSK, RNIF, etc.), enzyme immunoassay (ELISA), detection of viral antigens (PCR), virological method.

Treatment of hemorrhagic fevers

For the treatment of the disease, complex therapy is used, which includes intravenous administration of a glucose solution, blood transfusion in small portions, antihistamines, and iron preparations.