In addition to ixodid ticks, the class of these insects has many other varieties. An army of arachnid harmful individuals lives with us almost everywhere: in a dwelling, on household plots, in forested areas. Are ticks dangerous to humans? What do they look like, how to find them? What to do if bitten Tick-borne Encephalitis? How to provide first aid to the victim?

Attacking Varieties

These individuals do not differ in aggressiveness, but they can bring harm. Among them:

• Argas mites. They live in burrows, caves, cracks. They can settle in the crevices of village houses, attack people at night, however, episodes of daytime attacks have also been recorded. They are the causative agents of various infections: hemorrhagic fever or relapsing fever. The infection is transmitted quickly, within a minute, the disease progresses rapidly. If you are bitten by a tick of this type, you should immediately seek the advice of a medical institution.
• Gamasid mite. Mostly they bite birds, but if there are none nearby, they are able to attack people. They live in chicken coops or bird nests.
• Subcutaneous mite. This tick on the human body can live long time, without revealing anything. It feeds on dead cells. But with a decrease in immunity, they are able to penetrate deep under the skin, provoking various suppurations and rashes. Most often they affect the scalp and face. You can get infected with this tick household way or from animals.
• bed mite. The opinion of many people that this type of tick is capable of attacking is erroneous. Its danger lies only in the fact that it can provoke allergic diseases. It feeds on purely obsolete skin cells, does not consume blood at all.
• Barn mite. From the name it is already clear that he lives in barns and food storages. Feeds on cereals. Entering the human esophagus through dirty hands or products infected with it, can provoke various food poisonings.

However, forest mites bring the greatest harm to human health. Let's dwell on them in more detail.

Bites of forest ticks

They attack both animals and people, in most cases in forest plantations. Recently, however, ticks in the Moscow region are quite often found in park areas and squares. They hibernate in fallen leaves, but as soon as the snow cover disappears, they begin their hunt. The peak of activity is noted in the middle of spring, but they can attack a person and bite in autumn period. Forest mites are divided into two groups:

1. The infected are carriers of dangerous viral diseases.
2. Sterile - individuals that do not pose a danger to human body.

The consequences of a tick bite in humans can be extremely dangerous, since these insects are carriers of many different diseases. Upon contact with the body, this insect may not bite immediately. Before suction sometimes takes several hours.

What does a forest tick look like

A small arthropod that resembles a small beetle. It has 8 legs, the body of the tick is covered with a shell. The length of the insect is about 4 mm. It is very difficult to see with the naked eye the blood-sucking parts of it (head and trunk), since they are very miniature.

Males are even smaller. A well-fed female can reach a size of about 2 cm, since she is able to drink blood from her victim 10 times her own weight, being hungry. What a tick looks like on the body can be seen in the photo given in the article.

Attention! The tick has no eyes, but it is excellently oriented in space thanks to a highly developed sense of touch and smell. Scientists were able to prove that the tick is able to feel its prey, even being at a distance of about 10 m from it.

How a forest tick attacks a person

There is an erroneous opinion: if a tick stuck into a person’s head or stuck on his neck, then he fell from a height, for example, from a tree under which the victim was or simply passed by him. This is far from being the case, because the insect never rises above 50 cm.

General information about bites

The severity of symptoms depends on the number of bites and the physique of the bitten. The most difficult to tolerate bites are the elderly, children, people suffering from chronic diseases, allergies.

The main symptoms of a bite:

• The body temperature rises.
• There is a headache.
• In some cases, itching may occur.
• The blood pressure goes down.
• The heartbeat quickens.
• A rash appears on the skin.
• The lymph nodes are enlarged.
• There is a general weakness.

The consequences of a tick bite in humans depend on the type of insect: infected (encephalitic) or sterile (uninfected). Much more dangerous bite encephalitis tick. The symptoms are very severe and extremely dangerous:

• Paralysis.
• Stopping breathing.
• Cessation of brain activity.
• Death.

If the victim was bitten by an uninfected tick, the diseases that may appear are of a slightly different nature:

• Suppuration of bite sites.
• Allergy of a different kind.
• Edema up to Quincke's edema.

It is impossible to understand by eye which tick has stuck.

Important! If you've been bitten by a tick, early treatment can help protect you from more dangerous diseases.

Tick ​​bites: what they look like

Insect saliva contains a biologically active substance that has an anesthetic effect, so a person may not even suspect in the first hours that he was bitten by a tick. Only after this time can the first symptoms begin to appear.

Place of the bite of an infected tick: redness of the skin and swelling. They do not appear immediately, but after a while. If the spot expands in an annular pattern, immediate medical attention is required. This is the first symptom of Lyme disease.

What to do with bites

Tick ​​bite detected. What to do if the general condition worsens? In this case, the patient should be given an antihistamine to drink. It is better if these are Zirteks, Suprastin preparations.

How to remove a tick from the body

An insect on the human body is fixed extremely firmly. The fact is that his saliva acts as a cement composition. The proboscis is quite firmly glued to the skin. Therefore, the removal of the tick should be done carefully and extremely carefully. Recommendations for this procedure:

It is not recommended to smear the affected area with kerosene, gasoline and other liquids. If the insect crawls out of the wound, then after that it simply may not be accepted into the laboratory.

Diseases from tick bites and their symptoms

The consequences of a tick bite in humans are varied - from simple redness to severe and dangerous diseases:

• Encephalitis. The initial stage is very similar to the symptoms of a common cold. The incubation period can last up to 7 days. No examination can give an accurate analysis of the infection if 10 days have not passed since the bite. For accurate diagnosis, you need to present the insect itself for examination, but only alive.
• Lyme disease (borreliosis). This disease can be formed if the tick was a carrier of the spirochete virus. Symptoms may not appear immediately, but after a few months, this is usually: an increase in lymph nodes and aching joints.

Modern medical preparations able to completely cure tick-borne infections with timely detection and proper therapy.

Important! Tighten with the extraction of the tick is not worth it! The longer he drinks blood from the victim, the more pathogens enter the body.

Signs of the development of encephalitis

According to experts, the symptoms of this severe and extremely dangerous disease begin to appear only after 10-14 days from the moment a tick bite was detected in a patient. What to do? Do not panic and needlessly worry. And an increase in body temperature and discomfort, especially in the muscles, can be interpreted as a protective psychological reaction to frighten the victim. The formation of the disease takes place in several stages:

• Sudden and short-term manifestation of chills, after which the body temperature rises to 40 degrees. According to the clinical picture at this stage, the signs of the formation of encephalitis are similar to a flu attack.
• After some time, the victim observed: nausea and vomiting, severe headache attacks. At this stage, the symptoms resemble food poisoning.
• A day later, the patient begins to show signs of arthritis or arthrosis. Headaches pass, they are replaced by aches in the bones and joints. Motor activity is severely limited, breathing becomes difficult. The skin on the face and body turns red and swells, purulent masses are released from the lesion.
• Further, the symptoms only intensify, since at this stage the virus that has entered the patient's blood begins its destructive activity in the body, and the consequences can become irreversible.

Therefore, if you find that a tick has stuck into the body, then you need to immediately remove the insect. This can be done on your own or you can contact the sanitary and epidemiological station. There, doctors will be able to remove it and examine it. Only laboratory analysis is able to determine what type this tick is. Treatment, if it is prescribed, must be completed in full.

Important! Take any tick bite very seriously, as it can be encephalitic.

Signs of the development of borreliosis

This disease is diagnosed more often than encephalitis. The disease is extremely dangerous, very often occurs in a latent form. In chronic forms, it can lead to disability. The incubation period can last from several days to a month. The process of formation of borreliosis is divided into several stages of development:

• The first stage is a localized flow. A typical symptom is redness round shape on the skin. The tick bite site, as the disease progresses, increases in diameter, especially its peripheral edges, from 2 cm at the beginning to 10 cm or more at the end. The edges of the skin in the epicenter of the focus in comparison with healthy areas rise slightly. In the center, the skin becomes bluish, the immediate site of the bite is taken with a crust, then a scar forms instead. Lasts about 3 weeks, then slowly disappears.
• The second stage is disseminated, or, as it is also called, widespread. Symptoms begin to appear several months after the bite with CNS disorders, damage to the heart and joints, and pain in muscle tissues. Arise arthritis, encephalitis, myocarditis.
• The third stage is chronic. Formed in the complete absence of treatment. At this stage, there is a rapid defeat of the central nervous system with polyarthritis, multiple sclerosis, atrophy of the skin and other symptoms.

Forecasts are favorable with timely and proper treatment. The transition of the disease to a chronic form can lead to disability.

How is the process of infection with borreliosis

Treatment for tick bites

The first is removing the tick and examining it for the presence of the virus. After a confirmed diagnosis, the patient is prescribed complex treatment. In acute forms, the strictest bed rest is prescribed in combination with intensive therapy, the purpose and task of which is to reduce intoxication in the body and suppress the activity of the virus.

The patient is administered intramuscularly "Gammaglobulin". The sooner this drug enters the body, the faster the therapeutic effect will come. The agent acts for 24 hours, after which the patient's temperature drops to normal, the symptoms of encephalitis and meningitis decrease, sometimes disappear altogether.

To reduce the symptoms of poisoning, infusion detoxification treatment should be carried out. To do this, the patient is given fluids that help restore electrolyte balance, and glucocorticoids are also prescribed.

Antiviral medications

In the territory Russian Federation more commonly used:

• For adults and children over 14 years old - "Yodantipirin".
• For small children (up to 14 years old) - "Anaferon" for children.

Advice! If at the right time these drugs are not at hand, then they can be replaced by Cycloferon, Arbidol or Remantadin.

• The drug "Immunoglobulin" is advisable to use only in the first three days.

Emergency prevention - take a tablet of the drug "Doxycycline", but no later than 72 hours: for an adult - 200 mg, for a child aged 8 years and older - 4 mg per kilogram of weight. Small children and pregnant women are not recommended to use the drug.

Preventive actions

The most effective way to prevent diseases from tick bites is vaccination. Especially for people at risk - living in unfavorable areas or near forest belts.

On the territory of our country, six types of vaccine are officially used, and two of them are intended for children. It is best to graft in late autumn. However, there are also urgent vaccination schemes provided for emergency situations.

In the warm season, you can also be vaccinated, but with the condition that after vaccination, a person will not visit places where insects live for a month. The effect of vaccination will come only after the specified period. After this time, re-vaccination is done. Then you can get vaccinated every three years. If for some reason the period between vaccinations exceeds 5 years, then you will have to double-vaccinate again.

How to protect yourself from bites

First of all, you need to have a clear idea of ​​​​the places and areas where ticks can most often live:

• Favorable terrain for them - wet lowlands with trees and thick grass, ditches, forest edges, especially birch, ravines, coastal zones near reservoirs. Moreover, it is on the edges and forest paths that there are much more of them than inside the forest.
• Trails and paths keep human and animal tracks - these are the most attractive places for ticks.

When going to such places on vacation, it is best to dress in light-colored clothes. Against its background, the clinging insect is easy to notice. Be sure to cover your head with a cap, scarf or panama. Every 2-3 hours, carefully examine the body, clothes, especially the head. Buy special creams, ointments and sprays, use them before visiting places where these dangerous insects are likely to live.

In nature, a person expects not only beauty and peace, but also a lot of insects, the bites of which can lead to disastrous consequences. Doctors say that knowledge of the basic safety rules and the symptoms of many diseases will help to avoid problems or prevent complications in time. Find out what a tick bite looks like in a photo, what consequences such a “close acquaintance” can have, and what parts of the body should be examined after a trip to nature.

What does a tick bite look like

Tick ​​activity occurs during late spring and early autumn when the soil has already warmed up well. These insects have a well-developed sense of smell, so they feel their warm-blooded prey 10-30 meters away. The habitat of ticks is tall grass or low shrub. They dig into places with delicate skin: lower back, armpits, auricles, inguinal zone, stomach. In the zone of the sucked insect, the appearance of redness, rash, and inflammation is characteristic.

Incubation period

The weaker the blood-brain barrier, the sooner the first symptoms appear after a bite. As a rule, it takes from a week to 24 days. In rare cases, the first symptoms may begin two months after infection. For these reasons, immunologists strongly recommend that you carefully monitor your health, at least 2-2.5 months. Pay attention to sharply increased headaches, unstable body temperature, chills.

Why are blood-sucking mites dangerous?

Ticks can carry diseases such as viral encephalitis, a disease that affects the human nervous system. However, not every insect is a carrier of the virus: out of the total number of ticks, this disease is found in only 10-15% of individuals. In addition, depending on the habitat of the insect, they can spread infections such as tick-borne borreliosis, rocky mountain spotted fever, typhus, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, and so on.

Viral infections

The territory of Russia is characterized by the presence of a pathogen in the saliva of which viruses are present. A tick bite can provoke the development of:

The bite of a tick, a carrier of rickettsia, differs in severity - from sluggish forms to dangerous diseases that threaten a person's life. Immunologists focus on:

• Marseille fever is an acute zoonotic rickettsiosis characterized by a benign course.
• Spotted Astrakhan fever - rickettsiosis with a sluggish course. Clinically, the disease is manifested by an increase in the spleen, liver, structural changes in the lungs.
• Tick-borne typhus is a disease that affects the lymphatic system of the body and is manifested by skin rashes. Infections are carried by insects living in the regions of Siberia, Krasnoyarsk region, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Khabarovsk Territory.
• Q fever is an infectious natural focal disease. The main symptoms are: back pain, migraine, fatigue, dry cough, loss of appetite, insomnia.
• Smallpox rickettsiosis is a benign infection. It is characterized by the appearance of moderately severe fever, papular eczema.

protozoal infection

Among the invasive human diseases Special attention give babesiosis. In Russia, the area of ​​possible infection is the forest-steppe part of Siberia, the northwest and south of the European part of the country. In humans, the infection develops against the background of a decrease in immunity. Insect attacks are particularly susceptible to:

• elderly people;
• patients undergoing surgery;
• AIDS patients.

• General malaise, weakness, loss of appetite - appear if ticks that spread viruses stick to a person.
• If, after removal of the insect, redness of the skin, itching, small rashes appear, we are talking about microbial and rickettsial infections.
• Increase in body temperature. In Lyme disease, hyperthermia begins from 10 to 18 days after the bite. With ehrlichiosis, fever is characteristic for 8-14 days, and with anaplasmosis - after 2 weeks.

Signs of an encephalitic tick bite in humans

After detecting and extracting ticks, they must be handed over to the laboratory, where specialists will establish whether the insect was a TBE carrier. Symptoms of viral encephalitis appear suddenly: a person's body temperature rises sharply, headache and chills appear. Sometimes patients complain of muscle pain and paralysis of the limbs. A characteristic sign of infection is appearance a victim who has red spots at the bite sites.

Symptoms of Lyme disease

The symptoms of borreliosis look much clearer. This type of infection is characterized by the appearance of macular erythema. At the same time, redness can change in size over time, sometimes reaching 60 centimeters in diameter. The spot in shape resembles an irregular oval, in the center of which there is a small white or blue blotch. Gradually, at the site of the bite, the skin is rougher, a crust appears, and after a scar. With proper treatment, the scar disappears on its own in a few weeks.

Consequences

If the presence of an insect is not noticed in time, the consequences for the body can be unpredictable. For example, for tick-borne encephalitis, there are three options for the course of infection, each of which has its own characteristics. A favorable outcome is characterized by:

• the appearance of chronic weakness, which will last for one to two months of treatment, followed by the restoration of all body functions;
• moderate - with a recovery period of up to 6 months;
• severe form - with the resumption of all functions for 2-3 years.

An unfavorable outcome can bring complications in the form of:

• Decreased motor activity, general weakness without progression of symptoms.
• Decrease in all body functions with periodic progression of symptoms and relapses. Patients with alcohol dependence, pregnant women and the elderly are at risk of infection. Contribute to the progression of symptoms malnutrition, stress, overwork.

The prolonged presence of symptoms of infection is the reason for the determination of a disability group by a special commission:

• Disability of the 1st group is given in the presence of severe impairment of motor functions, epilepsy, acquired dementia, loss of self-care abilities, inability to move without assistance.
• The second group is issued in the presence of severe paresis in combination with epileptic seizures, with changes in the psyche, loss of labor activity.
• Disability category 3 is assigned if the patient has a neurological syndrome with impaired motor activity of the limbs, loss of some labor skills, rare epileptic seizures.

What to do with a tick bite

First aid

The sooner the tick is removed, the less likely it is that infectious agents will enter the open wound. If you are unsure that you can get to the nearest medical center in 1-2 hours, the first aid for a tick bite is to pull out the insect yourself. The affected area must be treated with alcohol or iodine. There are several ways to get a sucked tick:

The safest way is to remove the tick at the nearest hospital, where there is a trauma department. As a rule, in each region of the country there are round-the-clock first aid points. Then, depending on the situation, you will be referred to an infectious disease specialist, internist or surgeon. If you are in an area with a high percentage of tick-borne encephalitis infection, within three days after the bite, you will be given an injection of anti-tick immunoglobulin.

Insect examination for infections

If symptoms of an allergic reaction or suffocation appear, an ambulance should be called immediately. Your algorithm of actions before the arrival of doctors should be as follows:

• Open the windows, rip the neck of your T-shirt or loosen the top buttons of your shirt, loosen your pants belt or waistband.
• Apply a cool compress to the swollen area.
• Be sure to give the patient an antihistamine - Diazolin, Loratadin, Suprastin, Zodak, Erius.

Treatment

Anti-tick therapy is performed using drugs from different medical categories:

• With tick-borne encephalitis, immunoglobulin is prescribed in the first days. If meningitis is observed, ascorbic acid and B vitamins are prescribed. To eliminate respiratory failure, ventilation is carried out.
• With borreliosis, tetracycline drugs, bacteriostatics and intravenous injections of bactericidal antibiotics are prescribed. The lack of fluid is stopped by the introduction of blood substitutes.

Method of specific immunotherapy

During the treatment of borreliosis, it is important in the first 72 hours to carry out emergency prevention of infection through intravenous administration of immunomodulators. If a tick bite provoked the development of viral encephalitis, the following medications are prescribed:

• Prednisolone - applied 1 time per day. The medicine is contraindicated in case of individual intolerance to the components and the presence of a skin fungus.
• Reopoliglyukin - intravenous injection. Helps eliminate multiple symptoms of encephalitis fever. Often leads to the development of allergies.

Antibiotic therapy for bacterial diseases

An effective remedy, which will help to cope with the infection and eliminate the symptoms of the acute stage, is the drug Bicillin - 5. It is used only in a hospital in the form of 5-10 daily intramuscular injections. To relieve puffiness, Lymphomyosot is additionally prescribed. Bicillin injections are supplemented with antibiotics of the whole-fasporine and tetracycline series. These are the drugs:

• Ceftriaxone;
• Timalin;
• Sumamed;
• Claforan;
• doxycycline;
• Realdiron.

Drugs to suppress the reproduction of protozoa

• Clindamycin and Quinine;
• Azithromycin plus Atovacon;
• Cotrimoxazole, Pentamidine, Diisocyanate.

Prevention

To avoid possible complications and prevent the development of dangerous diseases, it is worth adhering to simple rules prevention:

• When hiking in nature, choose the most closed clothing, put a cap on your head, choose sliding fabrics.
• On bare parts of the body, apply special repellents, which can be bought at any pharmacy.
• After returning home, carefully inspect the body for ticks, paying special attention to the ears, hair, groin, lower back.
• Go through the procedure for the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis - vaccination. Prevents tick bites for 365 days. It is necessary to repeat the vaccination every three years.

Video

Tick ​​bite, little creature, who cannot fly, lives only in grass or low shrubs, can cause a lot of health troubles to a person, up to disability, or death. What can be the symptoms of a tick bite in humans and the consequences of this incident, we will understand further.

How does a tick bite?

Ticks are blood-sucking organisms that belong to the arachnid family. This is the largest group in this class. Rather small arthropods, a couple of millimeters in size, a large individual reaches only half a centimeter. Despite this, they can cause irreparable harm to a person. The bite of this creature is completely imperceptible, painless. Symptoms of an encephalitic tick bite in humans appear later.

How is the bite of an uninfected individual manifested?

Statistics show that in the vast majority of cases, arachnids are not infected with infectious diseases and their bite, provided that the tick is noticed on the skin in time and correctly removed, will not have any unpleasant consequences, except for external visible manifestations at the site of suction.

Local symptoms of a bite of an uninfected tick in humans (photo below) are not dangerous in any way and manifest themselves as:

Some more may be seen common features bite of an uninfected tick in humans, the most common of them are the following symptoms:

• headaches;
• aches in the joints;
• fear of light;
• general weakness and drowsiness;
• skin itching;
• tachycardia;
• lowering blood pressure;
• enlargement of some lymph nodes;
• sometimes completely atypical manifestations may occur: nausea, vomiting, nervous disorders.

External signs

We will analyze what symptoms after the bite of an infected tick appear in humans. It is worth noting that an outwardly infected individual of an arachnid is no different from a non-sick one. The bite site on a person's skin may not have any special signs, sometimes if the tick is infected with Lyme disease (borraliasis), they can:

After the incubation period

Other scenarios are also possible. A self-collected tick can be placed in a sealed container and delivered to the laboratory in order to determine the carriage of infections.

Or, in the absence of such an opportunity, you can donate blood yourself, without waiting for a possible infection to gain momentum. Diseases carried by ticks are diagnosed in the laboratory at an early stage.

The most common disease that ticks carry is spring-summer tick-borne meningoencephalitis. Symptoms of an encephalitic tick bite in humans appear after an incubation period (1-2 weeks). This dangerous viral disease leads to extremely serious neurological consequences, death.

It is worth noting that out of a hundred ticks, only 6 individuals are carriers of the virus. About 2-6% of those bitten can get sick from them.

Symptoms after a bite of an encephalitic tick in humans correspond to the phases of the course of the disease: the first stage, remission and the second stage.

Phases	Manifestations
First	The duration of manifestations is usually 2-4 days. The following symptoms may appear: temporary increase in body temperature; general malaise/weakness; nausea, vomiting; anorexia; pain in the muscle, in the head. Laboratory blood tests may reveal leukopenia and/or thrombocytopenia.
Remission	This period lasts 8 days. It is characterized by the disappearance of symptoms complete and rather abrupt.
Second	It develops in 20-30% of those infected. It can go in two directions, or both groups of symptoms may appear. The development of the meningitis clinic: muscle rigidity (a strong increase in muscle tone that does not go away), headaches, fever. The development of the encephalopathy clinic: disturbances of consciousness, sensitivity, disorder of motor function, paralysis.

It is possible to detect a virus by a blood test at the first stage, but practice shows that the disease is diagnosed only in the second phase of its course. Usually conducts differential diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis with such ailments as:

• tumor processes of the central nervous system;
• purulent diseases of the brain;
• pathology of cerebral vessels;
• polio;
• encephalitis of other pathogenesis;
• flu;
• borreliosis.

The only effective method of therapy here is the early administration of an injection of immunoglobulin. In other cases, the developing disease leads to death (within a week after the development of the neurological clinic of the disease). Especially often, this development is received by the Far Eastern subtype of tick-borne encephalitis.

Very effective prevention of encephalitis. This is vaccination with a special preparation according to certain schemes for different cases(local residents of endemic areas, visiting tourists, etc.).

Non-specific methods of prevention must be observed in order to avoid disastrous consequences:

• barrier protection (clothes covering all parts of the body);
• chemical protection (repellents);
• a thorough examination after a walk in the forest;
• timely removal of the attached individual;
• immediately contact a doctor for examination.

Clinic Borreliosa

Lyme disease endures special kind arachnids - ixodid ticks. They live mainly in the forests of the northern hemisphere. Although, Borrelia carry migratory birds over long distances. An infected tick has borrelia in its body for life and passes it on to offspring.

These microorganisms are contained in the stomach of arachnids and extremely rarely in saliva, so infection does not always occur when bitten. But the consequences of infection are quite dangerous, especially in the absence of competent treatment started on time.

Borraliasis, an infection that attacks almost all tissues and organs of the human body and can manifest itself with a host of different symptoms. Often, those who have been attacked by arachnids ask themselves the question: how long after a tick bite do symptoms appear in humans? Infectionists claim that the disease can manifest itself both a few days after infection, and a month later. The incubation period depends on the resistance of the infected organism and its immunity.

Symptoms of Borreliosis after a tick bite in humans are divided according to the stages of the disease. There are three such stages of the group of clinical manifestations:

stages	Manifestations
I.	The first stage can take place both with a very violent manifestation of symptoms, and with a smooth course. Most often noted: headaches and joint pain (ache); chills/fever; increased fatigue/weakness. There may be a rash on the face, conjunctivitis (not often). If the infection reaches the meninges, the following symptoms may appear: severe headache/dizziness; recurrent vomiting, nausea; photophobia. In some cases, a clinic of the so-called "anicteric" hepatitis may occur: pain and enlargement of the liver; anorexia; nausea. In some infected, only skin signs of the disease may appear, or the clinic may be completely absent. Sometimes the development of the disease stops at this stage, especially after competent and timely treatment.
II.	The disease does not always go into this stage, if this happens, then after a couple of three months. It is characterized by manifestations of a neurological nature in the form of the development of the clinical picture of the following diseases: meningitis; paresis of cranial nerves; meningoencephalitis; peripheral radiculopathy. There are throbbing headaches, extremely high fatigue and fatigue. Disturbed innervation of the face. Some cardiac disorders may occur: pericarditis; myocarditis. Cases of benign lymphocytoma of the skin of the face have been recorded.
III.	This period can form only in 10% of patients not earlier than six months or 2 years from the onset of infection. This can lead to very seriousconsequences of a tick bite in humans, symptoms may be as follows: joint damage (recurrent and / or progressive arthritis, arthralgia); neurological symptoms (up to the development of the clinic of the tertiary period of neurosyphilis); atrophic acrodermatitis.
chronic stage	If left untreated, the disease becomes chronic. This period is characterized by alternating remissions and relapses. May lead to bone destruction (osteoporosis), chronic cutaneous lymphocytoma, skin atrophy.

This pathology is dangerous in that the symptoms may not appear for a long time (up to six months). Meanwhile, the virus progresses in the human body, showing itself only when the disease has gone far.

However, the prognosis of this disease is not always difficult. Quite often, the disease fades at the first stage of development. Much depends on the strength of the immune system. If the disease has moved to the second and then to the third stage, not everything is so rosy here. Requires long-term observation and treatment in a hospital.

Preventive measures are only barrier protection and a thorough examination after walking. It is important to detect the bloodsucker in time and remove it from the skin correctly. According to statistics among officially registered bitten, the percentage of those infected with Lyme disease does not exceed 1.75%.
Consequences of a bite. How to minimize them?

• Ehrlichiosis;
• typhus (tick-borne);
• Dermatobiasis (especially dangerous for children, since their treatment does not bring the desired effect and the disease can lead to death);
• Anaplasmosis;
• Rickettsiosis smallpox;
• Q fever/tsutsugamushi fever;
• Babesiosis.

The clinical picture in the early stages of infection of any of these infections will be similar. It is important that you consult a doctor if any warning signs appear. Manifestations begin after a few days. If the detected bloodsucker is taken to the laboratory for analysis after removal, then its analysis will help determine a possible infection and take immediate action.

Most often, the bite passes without systemic consequences, since the overwhelming majority of ticks are sterile, but in case of infection, such consequences can occur as:

• prolonged illness and treatment;
• disability I, II, III groups;
• death.

The influence of the infection can be aggravated by addiction to alcohol, pregnancy, weak immunity, fatigue and stress.

The main thing that a tick bite is dangerous for a person is infection with pathogens of serious diseases that can be in his saliva. The most severe of them are typhus and borreliosis. Diseases arising from a tick bite often have complications that destroy the gray matter and membrane of the brain, heart, spinal cord, and central nervous system.

Having stuck to the site on the human body, the insect gradually absorbs blood and increases in size, it is at this time that it is possible to determine its presence.

In most cases, signs of a tick bite are found on those parts of the body where skin especially thin: armpits, inside of the knee, part of the head covered with hair, neck. It is in such places that a tick in a person does not immediately become noticeable. But there are times when insects are attracted to other parts, such as a hand.

It is quite difficult to understand that a tick has bitten, as already mentioned. Since a tick bite does not cause any discomfort in a person, it is not immediately detected. After visiting forests or park areas, you need to carefully examine your body in order to prevent possible intoxication of the body in time.

First symptoms

Consider the main symptoms of a tick bite in humans:

• chills;
• decreased performance, weakness;
• constant fatigue and drowsiness;
• pain in the joints;
• fear of the world.

The most important and accurate sign of how to recognize a tick bite will be the detection of a pest on the body. It is necessary to look for it exactly where we have already said. First aid for a tick bite involves removing the insect. If it is infected with an infection, the patient is treated. In this way, negative consequences can be avoided.

Symptoms that appear the next day

If the attached organism was not noticed on the first day, then on the second, the symptoms after a tick bite in a person will intensify. In some cases, they resemble a cold, but you should be on the lookout.

After a tick bite, the temperature usually rises to 38 degrees. This reaction is accompanied by a rapid heartbeat and a decrease in blood pressure. Itching, swollen lymph nodes, skin rashes are noted. Sometimes, the pathogen entering the body causes other symptoms:

• dizziness and severe headache;
• the appearance of hallucinations;
• breathing problems;
• feeling of nausea, turning into vomiting.

If a change in temperature occurs immediately after a bite, this means that an allergic reaction to saliva is developing. If the high temperature persists and does not go away for a long time, it means that the causative agent of the infection has entered the body.

Symptoms of an encephalitic tick bite

Without timely treatment, the consequences of a tick bite can be deplorable, this also applies to encephalitis related to viral diseases. The incubation period after a bite lasts about a month. Characteristic features will be:

• headaches and fainting;
• disruption of the heart and digestive system;
• the temperature rises to 40 degrees.

Lyme disease symptoms

Borreliosis is an infectious disease that negatively affects the heart, central nervous system, and musculoskeletal system. Here it is important to know what a tick bite looks like on the body. In this case, we have a red spot that is rapidly increasing in size. If first aid for a tick bite is not carried out, then in the absence of invasion, the speck disappears after 3 weeks. You can recognize Lyme disease by the following symptoms:

• headache, joint and muscle pain;
• constant fatigue and weakness;
• hearing loss, sleep disturbance;
• sore throat, paralysis.

Everyone probably already understands what to do with a tick bite. You need to quickly contact a specialist with a problem and undergo a treatment course, if necessary. Otherwise, the disease can provoke the development of serious diseases, often leading to death.

How to recognize a bite

In the event that the study showed that the insect was not infected, and a bump remained on the body after a tick bite, then this is a sign of improper extraction or allergy to saliva. If the bump does not go away after a tick bite and worries the patient, you should contact a medical facility.

Most frequently asked question, of course, how to treat a tick bite? Any antiseptic is suitable for this: hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, brilliant green.

What Not to Do

What to do after a bite is in no case impossible so as not to aggravate the situation:

First aid

This is scratching at the site of the bite. In the case when the insect was removed incorrectly, and its head remained in the wound, this can cause inflammation, itching and burning. If, after removing the tick, the damaged area itches, and the itching does not go away for a long time, you should consult a doctor.

It remains to tell how to treat the site of a tick bite. Any alcohol-containing agent is suitable for this: brilliant green, iodine or vodka. After 10 days, it is worth doing a blood test.

Health care

The question sounds rather strange, where to go when bitten by a tick. Of course, any medical institution where an infectious disease specialist deals with such problems will do. Treatment after a tick bite should be prescribed only by a qualified specialist, so you should not take any drugs at your own discretion. It should be noted that immunoglobulin is often prescribed for a tick bite to prevent the development of encephalitis.

Antibiotics are also often used to prevent the reproduction of pathogens when bitten by a tick. It is important to remember that a specific course of treatment is formed only after a blood test is taken, which will help identify the presence of infection.

The consequences for a person after a tick bite can be very different, even leading to death. It must be understood that the speed and literacy of the measures taken are important here. If everything is done correctly after a tick bite, then the risk of developing life-threatening diseases will be minimized.

Represents the arachnid family. For this reason, the insect will move in a similar way. This is one of distinguishing features ticks. However, if you do not know about other signs, it can be mistaken for a spider. Pest habitat: undergrowth, small shrubs, grass. They do not live in trees. If a tick has bitten on the neck or head, it means that he climbed on his own desired area. These insects do not fall from the tree.

External signs

It is necessary to imagine exactly who a tick is, how it looks. The insect is characterized by small size (average 3-4 mm), however, there are also small individuals (less than 1 mm). The number of paws is 4 pairs. The body is large, and the head, on the contrary, is small in size relative to the abdomen. Color black or brown. Having found a tick on the body, it must be borne in mind that initially (in a hungry state) it will be rounded and flattened. After feeding on blood, the insect increases in size. The abdomen becomes spherical.

The tick is in a "hungry" state; small arachnid with a flattened reddish-brown body

What is dangerous?

When a tick bites, the risk of infection and pathogens increases. The most dangerous diseases: encephalitis, borreliosis. Not every pest is a carrier of these diseases, however, the likelihood is sufficient to be wary of these insects. In addition, ticks can dig their heads so deep under the skin when they bite that when they independently extract it, the risk of its separation from the abdomen increases. This is fraught with an inflammatory process.

The incubation period in humans with bites

The earlier the disease is diagnosed, the more likely it is to be cured. If a tick has been seen in its body, the start of the incubation period starts from that moment. Its duration is 1-2 months, which is influenced by the characteristics of the human body. Symptoms appear with varying intensity. The first sign can be seen both after 7 and 24 days from the moment of the bite.

Redness is visible - a normal allergic reaction. Red spots, 10-12 cm in diameter, may be a symptom of Lyme disease

Outwardly, the place of contact looks unremarkable: a reddened spot with outlined edges, a red dot in the center. Sometimes swelling develops. These are manifestations of a reaction to the pest's saliva.

A tick bite in humans can look different. At the same time, more extensive redness (diameter 6-10 cm) is noted. This sign indicates infection with Lyme disease. Often, a bitten person finds an insect when it is fixed and actively sucks blood, while the abdomen will rise above the skin.

Red spots in Lyme disease carried by ticks. They can appear, both 2 days after the bite, and weeks later.

Symptoms

First signs (a few hours after the bite)

The first signs immediately after the bite:

• Drowsiness accompanied by weakness
• Chills
• Feeling sore joints
• Negative reaction to light.

Later signs of insect contact

The temperature will rise, however, other symptoms appear with a tick bite:

• Tachycardia
• Acute hypotension
• Allergic manifestations: rash, itching
• Lymph nodes react to foreign substances - they increase in size.

• Headaches
• Labored breathing
• Nausea or vomiting
• Perceptual disturbances (hallucinations).

Seek medical attention if the redness at the site of the bite does not improve and you feel worse

Manifestations upon contact with an encephalitis tick

The main symptom is relapsing fever. This condition is characterized by a periodically increasing body temperature. Moreover, there is an increase on 2-4 and 8-10 days of infection. In addition, the work of the nervous system of the victim is disrupted.

1.5 weeks after contact with the pest, the human spinal cord is damaged, as a result, paralysis of some muscle groups occurs. As the disease progresses, the brain is affected. The head may hurt, fainting occurs, the work of the digestive system is disrupted. These symptoms are observed against the background of elevated body temperature. If left untreated, the patient dies a week after the bite.

• . The danger of the disease lies in the high rate of its development after the virus enters the human body.
• Borreliosis (Lyme disease). Treatable if antibiotics are prescribed. The bite site increases in size up to 60 cm. Red rings on the skin are noticeable. The main danger of this disease is that sometimes it manifests itself 6 months after contact with an insect.
• Dermatobiasis. A person is infected with gadfly eggs that were in the body of an insect. In this case, the harm is caused by the larvae that appeared after some time from the eggs. They eat the human body, acting from the inside.
• Acarodermatitis tick. It can be distinguished by a number of signs: the bite itches, becomes inflamed. However, this disease does not threaten anything serious, since it is a common dermatitis (a reaction to contact with a pest).
• Typhus.
• Q fever.
• Marseille fever.
• Ehrlichiosis (microbial infection).
• Smallpox rickettsiosis.

Where to go after a tick bite?

If a tick is found, it must be immediately removed and taken to a laboratory that deals with such studies. It is important that the insect is alive.

Useful video: What should I do if bitten by a tick?

How to treat a bite?

For different diseases, a certain principle of treatment is effective. For example, encephalitis can be cured by taking human immunoglobulin. Borreliosis is treatable with tetracycline, antibiotics are prescribed if necessary. Bacteriostatic drugs (for example, Levomycetin) are recommended for taking.

Treatment of the affected area

Preparations in the form of tablets

You need to understand that self-administration of funds and dosages can harm. If encephalitis is suspected, take: Prednisolone, Ribonuclease, Polyglucin, Reopoliglyukin. If there are signs of borreliosis, it is treated with other drugs: Tetracycline, Lincomycin, Levomycetin, Piperacillin, Azlocillin.

Important: Self-medication is dangerous for your health! Be sure to consult with your doctor!

Preventive measures

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The first 2 diseases (tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis) are the most common, the rest are diagnosed much less frequently. Some ticks can be carriers of several infections at once, and, as a result, infect a person with several diseases at once.

How does a tick bite

Female ticks can stay on the skin from several hours to a week, while males are able to stick for a short time, making small bites. Therefore, for example, if a person saw on his skin not a sucking, but simply a crawling tick, it is likely that the tick still inflicted a bite.

Where and when are you most likely to get a tick bite?

People living in areas endemic for diseases, as well as those who visit these areas during the period of special activity of ticks - from May to mid-June and from late August to late September, are most at risk of contracting a serious disease from a tick bite.

But the danger of being attacked by ticks persists throughout the warm season when visiting almost any forest area, parks and other areas where there is grass and shady shelters. You can get a tick bite even in your country house or in adjoining territory his private house, if the grass is not mowed there.

Maximum number of bites from infected ticks
registered annually in Siberia, the Urals and the Volga region. However, a considerable number of those bitten annually seek medical help in almost all regions of Russia, including the Crimea and the Caucasus.

What parts of the body do ticks mostly bite?

Ticks are localized in the grass mainly at a height of 30 cm, and cling to the legs of those who pass by. Most often, they accumulate on the grass along the paths, smelling the people passing here. Sometimes they climb shrubs and lower branches of trees.

Once on the human body, the tick begins to look for places with thin skin, which is easier to bite through, so most often it sticks in the area:

• groin,
• abdomen and lower back,
• armpits
• chest,
• ears and neck,
• scalp.

If a tick bite is suspected and for prevention purposes, it is these places that should be most carefully examined after visiting the forest and park.

What does a tick bite look like?

Signs of a tick bite in humans are sometimes limited to only a small reddish spot and swelling in the wound area, and after a few days the skin takes on a normal appearance. Under the influence of saliva and microtrauma, which the tick inflicts with its mouth apparatus, a slight inflammation and a local allergic reaction occur on the skin. There is no pain, but in some cases a slight itching may be present.

Seeking a doctor is necessary in any case, even if there are no negative reactions from the body. The course of the first stages of dangerous diseases is sometimes hidden, in addition, some diseases have a long incubation period. Only a blood test will confirm the absence of the disease.

Signs of an allergic reaction to a tick bite

An allergy occurs in response to tick saliva getting into the wound. The individual reaction of the body depends on the state of health in general. The consequences of tick bites are more severe in allergy sufferers, children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. You can remove a moderate allergic reaction with the help of antihistamines.

Common signs of allergies:

• weakness;
• drowsiness;
• aches in the joints;
• headache;
• nausea;
• dizziness,
• temperature increase;
• itching and rash in the area of ​​​​the bite and on other parts of the body.

With a strong individual allergic reaction, anaphylactic shock may occur, which is preceded by:

• difficulty breathing;
• hallucinations;
• angioedema (rapid and massive swelling of the face, throat, or extremities);
• loss of consciousness.

Anaphylactic shock can be controlled with the administration of prednisolone and adrenaline. If the symptoms after a tick bite indicate a severe allergic reaction, an urgent emergency call is necessary, otherwise a fatal outcome is possible.

Signs of the development of tick-borne encephalitis

The incubation period for tick-borne encephalitis can last from 4 to 14 days. During this period, the infected person does not have any external health problems. Then the temperature rises sharply to 38-39 ° C, the patient has a fever, appetite disappears, muscle and eye pain appears, nausea or vomiting, severe headache.

Then comes remission, during which the patient feels some relief. This is the second phase of the disease, during which the nervous system. Subsequently, meningitis, encephalitis, paralysis may develop. If left untreated, death is likely.

The problem is that the symptoms of the disease in initial stage often confused with the flu and acute respiratory infections, so they do not go to the doctor, but self-medicate. When a high temperature appears after a detected or suspected tick bite, time should not be missed - a blood test and hospital treatment are necessary.

Symptoms of borreliosis

If a tick carrying borreliosis has bitten, the bite site takes on the appearance of a specific erythema, which gradually increases to 10-20 cm, and sometimes up to 60 cm in diameter. The erythema patch may be round, oval, or irregular shape. The victim may experience burning, itching and pain at the site of the bite, but more often the first signs are limited to erythema alone.

After some time, a saturated red border forms along the contour of the spot, while the border itself looks slightly swollen. In the center, the erythema becomes pale white or cyanotic. After a few days, a crust and scar form in the bite area, which disappear without a trace after about 2 weeks.

The incubation period before the onset of the first symptoms ranges from several days to 2 weeks. Then comes the first stage of the disease, which lasts from 3 to 30 days. During this period, the patient experiences muscle aches, headache, weakness, fatigue, sore throat, runny nose, stiffness of the neck muscles, nausea. Then, for some time, the disease can go into a latent form up to several months, during which the heart and joints are affected.

Unfortunately, erythema is often mistaken for a local allergic reaction, without attaching much importance to it. And the malaise during the first stage of the disease is attributed to a cold or overwork at work. The disease flows into a latent form, and openly declares itself after a few months, when serious harm has already been done to the body.

Signs of the development of other diseases

An increase in temperature to 38°C and above may indicate the beginning of the development of any of the tick-borne infections. It is important to remember that a symptom such as fever does not occur immediately after a bite. The incubation period of some diseases can last up to 14 days (ehrlichiosis, hemorrhagic fever), or up to 21 days (tularemia).

On the background high temperature The following symptoms may indicate the onset of the disease:

• heart palpitations and pressure surges;
• sore throat, tongue lining and runny nose;
• anorexia, nausea and vomiting;
• swollen lymph nodes and a rash on the face (typhus);
• nosebleeds, abdominal pain, diarrhea (tularemia);
• chills, sweating, clouding of consciousness, lower back pain (hemorrhagic fever).

After a tick bite, it is necessary to measure the temperature daily for 2 weeks and monitor the state of health: any changes that appear cannot be ignored.

First aid for a tick bite

You should also consult a doctor if a trace is found on the skin possible bite tick or the above signs of infection with any of the tick-borne infections. If necessary, after the examination, the doctor prescribes an appropriate course of treatment with the use of anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs or recommends immunotherapy.

Taking antibiotics after a tick bite is not always justified. If it is impossible to immediately consult a doctor, for the purpose of emergency prevention, it is better to take immunomodulators (for example, iodantipyrine). Allergy sufferers can take antihistamines.

Actions for a tick bite. Human infection with tick-borne encephalitis occurs through the bite of an infected tick. Every year thousands of people are bitten by ticks, but only a few of the victims develop serious diseases, such as encephalitis or borreliosis. The danger of a tick bite lies in the fact that insects carry many different diseases, which will be discussed below. A tick bite does not mean at all that a person will get sick with tick-borne encephalitis and / or borreliosis, as well as other diseases. Once on the body, the tick does not bite immediately. It may take several hours for the tick to bite. If the tick is noticed in time, then the bite can be avoided. It happens that a person gets a tick bite while at home, a tick can get into the house by arriving on the back of your favorite animal: a dog or a cat. You have returned from a forest walk - and here it is, a tick, hanging on your hand. Let's figure out what to do. If your area is safe for encephalitis, don't take a tick bite lightly. The presence of a pathogen in a tick does not mean at all that a bitten person will get encephalitis or borreliosis. Female ticks can suck blood for about 6-10 days, reaching a length of 11 mm.

What should I do if bitten by a tick

If the tick bite has nevertheless occurred, the initial consultation can always be obtained by calling 03.

To remove the tick, you will most likely be sent to the district SES or the district emergency room.

If you do not have the opportunity to seek help from a medical institution, then the tick will have to be removed on your own.

It is convenient to remove ticks with curved tweezers or a surgical clip, in principle any other tweezers will do. In this case, the tick must be captured as close as possible to the proboscis, then it is gently pulled up, while rotating around its axis in a convenient direction. Usually, after 1-3 turns, the tick is removed entirely along with the proboscis. If you try to pull out the tick, then the probability of its rupture is high.

There are special tools for removing ticks.

These devices have an advantage over clamps or tweezers, since the body of the tick is not squeezed, extrusion of the contents of the tick into the wound is excluded, this reduces the risk of infection with tick infections.

If there are no tweezers or special devices at hand, then the tick can be removed with a thread.

A strong thread is tied into a knot, as close as possible to the tick's proboscis, then the tick is removed by slowly swinging and pulling it up. Sharp movements are unacceptable - the tick will break.

If, when removing the tick, its head came off, which looks like a black dot, the suction site is wiped with cotton wool or a bandage moistened with alcohol, and then the head is removed with a sterile needle (previously calcined on fire) in the same way as you remove an ordinary splinter.

There are no grounds for some far-fetched advice that for better removal, ointment dressings should be applied to the sucking tick or oil solutions should be used. The oil can clog the tick's breathing holes and the tick will die and remain in the skin. After removing the tick, the skin at the site of its suction is treated with tincture of iodine or alcohol. Bandaging is usually not required.

What threatens a tick bite?

Even if the tick bite was short-lived, the risk of contracting tick-borne infections cannot be ruled out.

The tick can be a source of quite a large number diseases, therefore, after removing the tick, save it for testing for tick-borne infections (tick-borne encephalitis, tick-borne borreliosis, if possible, for other infections), this can usually be done in an infectious diseases hospital, on our website for a number of cities there are addresses of laboratories.

The tick should be placed in a small glass bottle along with a piece of cotton wool slightly dampened with water. Be sure to close the bottle with a tight lid and store it in the refrigerator. For microscopic diagnosis, the tick must be delivered to the laboratory alive. Even individual fragments of the tick are suitable for PCR diagnostics. However, the latter method is not widely used even in large cities.

You need to understand that the presence of an infection in a tick does not mean that a person will get sick. Tick ​​analysis is needed for peace of mind in case of a negative result and vigilance in case of a positive one.

The surest way to determine the presence of the disease is to take a blood test. It is not necessary to donate blood immediately after a tick bite - tests will not show anything. Not earlier than 10 days later, you can test the blood for tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis PCR method. Two weeks after the tick bite for antibodies (IgM) to the tick-borne encephalitis virus. For antibodies (IgM) to Borrelia (tick-borne borreliosis) - in a month.

Tick-borne encephalitis(see the List of territories endemic for tick-borne encephalitis in 2010) - the most dangerous of tick-borne infections (consequences - up to death). Emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis should be carried out as early as possible, preferably on the first day.

Emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is carried out using antiviral drugs or immunoglobulin.

Antiviral drugs.

In the Russian Federation, this is Yodantipirin for adults and children over 14 years of age.
Anaferon for children for children under 14 years of age.
If you could not find these drugs, theoretically they can be replaced by other antiviral agents (cycloferon, arbidol, rimantadine).

Immunoglobulin- it is expedient only during the first three days. AT European countries release discontinued. The disadvantages include high cost, frequent allergic reactions.

Not earlier than 10 days later, you can test the blood for tick-borne encephalitis by PCR. Two weeks after the tick bite for antibodies (IgM) to the tick-borne encephalitis virus. If a person is vaccinated against the tick-borne encephalitis virus, no action is needed.

Tick-borne borreliosis- a dangerous disease, often secretive, but in the event of a transition to a chronic form, leading to disability. Distributed throughout almost the entire territory of the Russian Federation, transmitted by ticks. Emergency prevention of tick-borne borreliosis in an adult can be carried out by drinking one tablet of doxycycline (200 mg) no later than 72 hours after the tick bite, in a child over 8 years old - 4 mg per 1 kg of weight, but not more than 200 mg. Children under 8 years of age and pregnant women are not given emergency prophylaxis. Regardless of whether emergency prophylaxis of tick-borne borreliosis was carried out or not, you should donate blood for antibodies to tick-borne borreliosis (IgM). It is better to take an analysis 3-4 weeks after a tick bite, it does not make sense earlier - it will be negative. If the result is positive, or redness appears at the site of the tick bite a few days after the bite, you need to contact an infectious disease specialist. Tick-borne borreliosis in the early stages is treated very quickly.

Hemorrhagic fevers, a group of natural focal viral diseases transmitted from animals to humans, united by common clinical signs - fever (fever), subcutaneous and internal hemorrhages. According to the causative agent, as well as according to the method of spreading the infection, several types are distinguished.

Crimean hemorrhagic fever occurs in the form of sporadic cases in the southern steppe regions of the Russian Federation - Crimea, Taman Peninsula, Rostov Region, South Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, as well as in Bulgaria, i.e. where ixodid ticks (Hyalomma) are common. Infection occurs in spring and summer. The incubation period is 2-7 days. The causative agent is found in the blood of patients during the entire febrile period. The blood serum of convalescents has specific antiviral properties.

Omsk hemorrhagic fever was first described among residents of the lakeside villages of Siberia, among hunters and members of their families, in the Baraba steppe. Natural foci of Omsk hemorrhagic fever were found in the Omsk, Novosibirsk, Kurgan, Tyumen and Orenburg regions. It is possible that they also exist in some of their neighboring territories (Northern Kazakhstan, Altai and Krasnoyarsk Territories). It occurs in the autumn-winter period in the form of outbreaks associated with epizootics in game animals. The main carriers of the disease are the ixodid ticks Dermacentor. The incubation period is 3-7 days. In humans, the virus is detected during the entire febrile period. Currently, cases of the disease are extremely rare.

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome(hemorrhagic nephroso-nephritis) occurs in Europe and Asia in the form of group outbreaks and sporadic (isolated) cases. The transmission mechanism is not well understood; the possibility of transmission through gamasid mites is assumed. Natural foci can form in various landscapes (forest, steppe, tundra). The reservoir of infection is some species of mouse-like rodents. The incubation period is 11-24 days. For emergency prevention of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, iodantipyrine can be used.

About tick bites in questions and answers

Q: I was bitten by a tick, what should I do?
A: Read the article: “What to do if bitten by a tick”, the questions discussed in the article will not be considered below.

Q: How do you know if you have an encephalitis tick or not?
A: Tick-borne encephalitis is a virus carried by ixodid ticks - but not every tick is a carrier. By appearance, it is impossible to determine whether a tick is encephalitic or not - this can only be done in a laboratory. In almost all cities where there is a risk of infection with tick-borne encephalitis, it is possible to take a tick for analysis (usually a tick can be tested for other infections common in the region). On our website, for a number of cities, the addresses and phone numbers of such laboratories are indicated.

V .: I took off the tick, it seems that it has just begun to stick, is there a risk of getting sick and with what?
A: The risk of getting sick with tick-borne infections exists even with a slight bite on the time of the tick.

It will not be possible to unequivocally answer the question of what can be infected, since ticks carry different infections in different regions.
Tick-borne encephalitis is considered the most dangerous disease transmitted by ticks; Rospotrebnadzor annually publishes lists of endemic territories of the Russian Federation for tick-borne encephalitis; unfortunately, such information is not published for other infections.
Tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme) is a very insidious disease, as it often proceeds hidden, becomes chronic and leads to disability. Borrelia-infected ticks are found to a greater or lesser extent in most of the territories of the Russian Federation, as well as in Europe, Asia and North America. A frequent sign of the disease at the initial stage is the occurrence of migratory annular erythema at the site of tick suction.
AT southern regions In Russia, the most dangerous tick-borne disease is Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

There are other diseases, so if you feel worse, consult a doctor immediately.

V .: I was bitten by a tick, two weeks have passed since the bite, I felt good, and today the temperature has risen, what should I do?

A .: Poor health may not be associated with a tick bite, but it cannot be ruled out. Be sure to see a doctor.

Redness at the site of the tick bite

V .: The tick was removed, the bite site turned red almost immediately. What does it mean?

A: This is most likely an allergic reaction to the bite, inspect the bite site daily, if you notice an increase in the stain, soreness of the bite site or deterioration in general well-being, consult a doctor.

V .: The tick was removed, but after a few days the bite site was swollen, painful to touch.

A: You need to see a surgeon.

V .: The tick was removed, at first the bite was a little red, then the redness went away, and today, two weeks after the bite, it turned red again.

A: You should contact an infectious disease specialist. Very often, the early stage of the disease with tick-borne borreliosis is accompanied by the occurrence of migrating annular erythema at the site of the bite.

Emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis

Q: I live in a region endemic for tick-borne encephalitis. Yesterday I bitten a tick, noticed it in the evening, immediately removed it and took it to the laboratory for analysis. Today they called from the laboratory, they said that the tick-borne encephalitis virus was found in the tick and that I needed to drink a course of iodantipyrine. What else can be done to prevent tick-borne encephalitis? Very worried.
A: You should not worry too much, because the bite of an infected tick does not mean that a person will get sick (even without prevention). Yodantipyrin, along with immunoglobulin, is approved for use for emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis - its effectiveness has been proven. You can also recommend a balanced diet during the incubation period of CE, try to avoid any stressful situations for the body (overheating, hypothermia, heavy physical exertion, etc.).

V .: I was bitten by a tick, I threw it away, and now I'm worried - suddenly the tick was encephalitic. When can I donate blood for analysis?
A: Donating blood immediately after a tick bite does not make sense - tests will not show anything. Not earlier than 10 days later, you can test the blood for tick-borne encephalitis by PCR. Two weeks later for antibodies (IgM) to the tick-borne encephalitis virus.

Q: I am pregnant (10 weeks). Bitten by a tick - what to do to prevent tick-borne encephalitis?
A .: Studies of the effect of immunoglobulin and iodantipyrin on the fetus have not been conducted, therefore pregnancy is listed as a contraindication to them. The intake of both drugs is prescribed by a doctor according to strict indications, when the intended benefit to the mother outweighs the potential risk to the fetus. Many doctors recommend simply monitoring how you feel - most people do not get sick when bitten by a tick infected with tick-borne encephalitis.

V .: A tick bit a one-year-old child. What can be done to prevent tick-borne encephalitis?

A: For emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis in children, immunoglobulin or anaferon for children is used.

Q: I was bitten by a tick, I am vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis, what should I do to prevent it?

A: Vaccination is the most reliable protection against tick-borne encephalitis. For prevention, you do not need to take anything - you already have immunity.

V .: A week ago, I was given an immunoglobulin of tick-borne encephalitis, and today I was bitten by a tick again. Should I be concerned about tick-borne encephalitis?

A: The introduction of immunoglobulin creates immunity, it is weaker than with vaccination, but it is able to protect for some time (usually up to 1 month) from tick-borne encephalitis. That is, in your case, you do not have to worry about CE.

V .: I took Jodantipyrin according to the prophylactic (before the tick bite) regimen. I was bitten by a tick, what should I do, according to what scheme should I take Jodantipyrin?

A: You should move on to the “after tick bite” scheme.

V .: The tick was removed, most likely on the 4th day from the moment of suction. The tick was not preserved, did not go anywhere, I feel good. What can I do to prevent tick-borne encephalitis?

A: You can start taking iodantipyrin (immunoglobulin is ineffective already on the third day, on the fourth day its use is inappropriate), although, of course, the time for emergency prevention has already been lost. Monitor your well-being, if you notice a deterioration in the condition, consult a doctor.

V .: I am going on a long trip, I will not have the opportunity to see a doctor in case of a tick bite. What do i do?

A: Avoid tick bites - read the article: Prevention of tick bites. If there is at least 3 weeks before your trip, then it is better to get vaccinated - this is the best way to prevent tick-borne encephalitis. If there is no time, then take Jodantipyrin on a hike (you won’t be able to take immunoglobulin with you).

V .: I was bitten by a tick, I pulled it out. I am very worried, but there is no way to see a doctor (I am far from civilization), there is no way to buy medicines. How to be?

A: Most people who have not received emergency prophylaxis when bitten by a tick infected with tick-borne encephalitis do not get sick. Since you don't even know if a tick has been infected or not, you shouldn't panic. Try to find an opportunity to consult a doctor in case of deterioration of health.

If a person is bitten by an uninfected tick, then no complicated actions are required. It is enough to correctly remove it from the skin and disinfect the wound. This is much easier than preventing encephalitis, and certainly safer than treating this disease.

On a note

If an encephalitic tick and a common one are placed next to each other, both of them belonging to the same species and at the same stage of development, then no external differences can be found between them. Moreover, even a magnifying glass or a microscope will not help to do this, that is, it will not work to distinguish such individuals at home.

In other words, it will not work just to find out in nature whether the tick is encephalitic. This cannot be done even by an acarologist who is well able to identify the types of ticks and distinguish them from each other.

The very concept of "encephalitic tick" indicates the infection of a particular individual with the tick-borne encephalitis virus. Many untrained people mistakenly believe that an encephalitic tick is a certain species, all individuals of which are carriers of infection, in contrast to another, “simple” tick, whose bite is harmless to humans.

In fact, the established carriers of tick-borne encephalitis are 14 species of ixodid ticks, which are quite similar to each other in appearance, but also have certain features of appearance and coloration that make it possible to distinguish them from each other and from other species that do not carry the pathogen. Of these 14 species, two are the main vectors of infection that infect humans in the vast majority of cases:

The first is responsible for cases of infection with encephalitis in the countries of Western Europe, in Ukraine, Belarus and in the west of Russia (for example, in the Kaliningrad region), the second - in Siberia and the Far East.

This means that there is no specific species - the encephalitic tick. There are several species, morphologically and ecologically distinct, that can carry the virus.

On the other hand, even the most malicious carriers of the virus, not all of them are contagious.

According to statistics, only about 6% of individuals of those species that carry encephalitis are infected. That is, for 15 individuals representing these species, which actually belong to the “encephalitic” cohort, only one individual will really pose an epidemiological danger.

On a note

According to statistics collected in hospitals, the average incidence of tick-borne encephalitis among all people bitten and seeking help is approximately 0.50-0.55% (about 5 people per 1000 bitten). Considering the number of people who do not go to the doctor after a bite, this figure is actually even lower - approximately the same 0.2-0.3% (20-30 infected per 10,000 bites). For tick-borne borreliosis, this figure is 1.5 times higher - about 1.3% for people officially registered when they go to the hospital.

This, in turn, means that the bite of even a tick that is definitely a carrier of the virus will not necessarily lead to infection.

Nevertheless, by the appearance of a bloodsucker, one can determine the probability (not a fact, but a chance) that it is encephalitic. For this you need:

The photo below shows a tick as an example, which may well be a carrier of the tick-borne encephalitis virus:

Differences between encephalitis tick species and related species

The first task in determining the type of tick in our case is to understand that it belongs specifically to the family of ixodid ticks. They have a fairly characteristic appearance with a body flattened from the back and a very small head. Ticks from other families differ from Ixodes in body shape.

For example, the photo shows the tick Dermacentor silvarum, a typical representative of ixodid carrying encephalitis:

Here is a shell mite from the family of argas mites:

And in this photo - the gamasid mite Androlaelaps schaeferi:

Even more likely to get infected by a bite if either a taiga or a dog tick has been removed from the body. Outwardly, they are very similar to each other. The photo below shows an adult hungry female taiga tick:

And here is a female dog tick:

It is practically impossible for a non-specialist to distinguish between them, since reliable differences between them are too insignificant - these are structural features of the proboscis and body shield. But it makes no sense to distinguish between these species: both of them can be carriers of infection with the same probability.

On a note

In the European region, people are attacked mainly by a dog tick, beyond the Urals - by a taiga one. For this reason, the dog tick is also called the European forest tick, and the taiga tick is also called the Siberian tick.

It is possible to distinguish representatives of these two species from relatives in the family of ixodid ticks by color: taiga and dog ticks in adulthood have a clearly visible black or dark green shield and a brown body. When saturated, their body increases in size several times and becomes light gray.

You also need to be able to distinguish ticks from some blood-sucking insects. In particular, in the forest and taiga zones, bloodsucker flies can easily be confused with ixodids, the most common and well-known of which are deer bloodsucker (it is also called moose tick). These flies attack various large animals and humans, and tend to climb into the hair and move between them. Bloodsuckers pursue their prey in flight, but clinging to wool or skin, they shed their wings and begin to suck blood - such a wingless individual is easily confused with a tick.

The photo below shows a deer bloodsucker:

And here is an ordinary forest tick that has not yet been fed:

The photo shows the main difference between these arthropods: the bloodsucker has six legs, and the tick has eight.

The main thing is that bloodsuckers do not tolerate encephalitis and generally do not infect a person with any infections.

In view of the foregoing, in the case of a tick bite, one can only assume with a certain probability whether it can be infected with a virus or not. But to find out exactly this, completely different research methods will be required ...

The only way to know if it's an encephalitis tick or not

It is possible to know for sure that a tick that has bitten a person is infected with the tick-borne encephalitis virus only by the results of a special laboratory study. The essence of this study is simple:

Such studies are very effective. It is very easy to detect viral RNA in tick tissues using affordable and inexpensive methods, such analyzes are carried out in a few hours and give a result with a high degree of accuracy. They also make it possible to determine with a high probability whether a person needs emergency prevention of the disease.

On a note

It should be remembered here that even if the bloodsucker is contagious, the probability of developing the disease in a person bitten by it without taking any measures is approximately 2-6%. That is, even after a positive result of a tick study in the laboratory, it is not at all necessary that the disease will develop. However, the risk of its development is a sufficient reason for taking emergency measures.

How and where to take a tick for analysis

In regions with a high epidemiological risk of tick-borne encephalitis, the analysis of removed ticks for infection is carried out in most laboratories at clinics and hospitals. The technique of emergency research of ticks was initially tested in Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Tomsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk and Yaroslavl, and when it showed good results, it was introduced into regular practice in most cities of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

You can conduct the analysis itself or find out where you can take the tick for research at the following institutions (you can call):

• In any clinic or hospital (and in rural areas - in the first-aid post or at the local therapist);
• In any emergency room;
• In the nearest branch of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station;
• In private laboratories and diagnostic rooms;
• In the centers of Rospotrebnadzor.

In case of a bite, it is enough to call any of these institutions and find out where to go. On the phone they will tell you either the address of the laboratory or its phone number.

On a note

The quality and accuracy of analyzes in both public and private laboratories are the same. The advantage of public institutions is the lower cost of analysis, but in private clinics there is less queue, and the whole procedure is more comfortable and faster.

Lyme borreliosis is easier and more successfully treated due to the fact that its pathogen is sensitive to antibiotics.

Therefore, if tick-borne encephalitis is easier and safer to prevent before the development of the disease, and for this it is worthwhile to carry out both a tick analysis and emergency prophylaxis, then it is easier to cure borreliosis with timely diagnosis. Moreover, the likelihood of infection with a bite is also low. On the whole, in this issue it is better to follow the instructions of a specialist who knows the epidemiological situation in the area. If he considers that the likelihood of contracting Lyme disease is high, he will advise you to take a comprehensive analysis. If such an analysis, in his opinion, is not appropriate, then he will not recommend it.

If the removed tick turned out to be infected with the tick-borne encephalitis virus, then the victim needs the introduction of immunoglobulin as an emergency measure to prevent the development of the disease. Consultation on further actions will be given by a doctor in the institution where the study was conducted.

This also includes the situation when the tick simply did not have time to be delivered for research within 2-3 days after the bite.

What to do in such cases?

Firstly, it is no longer necessary to take the tick for analysis. Even the understanding that he was infected with the tick-borne encephalitis virus or Borrelia will not be the basis for urgent measures: the terms of emergency prevention have already been missed, and it is not advisable to start treatment without symptoms of the disease.

Thirdly, you need to carefully monitor the condition of the victim. If there are obvious symptoms of either encephalitis or borreliosis, then you need to see a doctor as soon as possible.

Signs of tick-borne encephalitis after a bite develop at different times - depending on the subtype of the virus, usually from 3 to 14 days. The first symptoms of the disease are fever, pain in the head and muscles, chills, nausea. If they appear, you must immediately take the victim to the hospital.

It is important to know

The European subtype of the virus is characterized by a special pause, when, after 2-3 days of fever, the patient's condition returns to normal, and then brain damage begins with impaired consciousness and even paralysis. If remission is taken as the end of the disease and nothing is done, then you can miss the moment when, without severe consequences diseases can still be avoided.

When infected with the Far Eastern subtype of the virus, both phases merge, the general symptoms are more pronounced, the disease proceeds very rapidly.

When infected with borreliosis, fever develops in the acute phase of the disease, and erythema migrans may also appear - ring-shaped redness around the bite site. Similarly, if these symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. If antibiotics are started on time, the disease is likely to be successfully cured.

You can also take a blood test for antibodies to the tick-borne encephalitis virus or lyme borreliosis. An analysis for immunoglobulins for the TBE virus is given 2-3 weeks after the bite, and for borreliosis - after 3-4 weeks. It is pointless to donate them earlier, because even with infection, the antibody titer will not have time to increase to those values ​​that will be a sign of infection.

Even if the first antibody test did not give results, it is useful to repeat it after a month. The dynamics of changes in antibody titer and their composition will be an important sign of infection. If both analyzes for each infection are negative, then you can calmly take a breath: the infection did not occur.

When you can not worry about tick infestation at all

Finally, there are situations in which you do not have to worry about tick infestation at all.

So, in most of the territory of Ukraine and in the southern regions of the Russian Federation, many mothers go crazy with fear when they find a tick on a child, although in fact the probability of TBE infection here, although not excluded, is so small that no special measures are required. It is almost certain that the tick here will not be encephalitic and will not infect the victim with the virus.

Be that as it may, in each case, after a tick bite, it is most correct to find an opportunity to contact a doctor (preferably an infectious disease specialist) and consult with him. He will definitely be able to tell how to be in a particular situation, where and when to seek help. It is much more reasonable and safer to follow his recommendations than to independently determine the infestation of a tick and draw some conclusions.

An interesting video: how to reliably protect yourself from tick-borne encephalitis