One of the most unpleasant side effects of Sunday outdoor recreation can be a meeting with such a representative of the world of Arachnids as a tick. Surely many have heard about all the trouble that this insidious parasite can deliver. People are so diligently told about the horrors of encephalitis that some of them simply faint or fall into a stupor at the sight of a tick. And this is simply unacceptable in the current situation. A frivolous attitude will also not lead to anything good. Therefore, every sane person should know what and in what sequence to do when bitten by this insidious spider. First, let's look at who he is and why he is so insidious.
Who are ticks?
The tick is not an insect, as many people think. It belongs to the arachnid order. The family is quite large, more than 54 thousand varieties, but fortunately, only a few of them can pose a direct threat to humans. There are individuals about 5 mm, but for the most part their size does not exceed 0.4 mm. The body of the tick can be one piece or two parts.
A lot of representatives of this friendly family of parasites live near us. Some live in mattresses andpillows (dust and scabies mites), others where food is stored (granary). Still others settle on the human body (subcutaneous) or in the auricles of our cats and dogs.
Ticks do not have organs of vision, but their sense of smell is well developed. The parasite is able to feel its prey at a distance of up to 10 meters. By structure, they are divided into leathery and armored. If the former are able to breathe through the skin, then the armored ones have a special device for this (spiracle) in the back of the body.
Varieties
For a general idea, let's talk about the main varieties of ticks.
Parasitic on humans:
- Ixodes - spiders about 2.5 mm with strong chitinous plates. They hide in the leaves of trees and bushes. They parasitize both forest and domestic animals. Dangerous for humans. They can suck blood non-stop for up to three weeks!
- Argas - live in dwellings and outbuildings. They usually parasitize domestic animals. Capable of attacking a person. The bite is palpable and quite painful. After a bite, itching and a rash may appear. The argasid mite has a leathery cover and a head sunk into the body.
- Gamasidae - live in bird nests, burrows, basements, chicken coops, etc. They parasitize the inhabitants of these dwellings. Sometimes people are attacked. Size up to 3.5mm.
- Subcutaneous is a very interesting type. It can live for years on a person without causing much concern. In fact, almost everyone has them. But as soon as they exceed the permissible concentration, theythe presence becomes palpable and unpleasant (rash, acne, oily sheen).
- Scabies - makes small passages in the skin, causing terrible itching and redness. They live no more than 1.5 months, but during this time they manage to lay eggs several times.
- Forest ticks are the most dangerous for humans. They attack both people and animals. Often found in parks, lawns, cottages. They carry encephalitis, typhoid, paralysis, tularemia and other infectious diseases obtained from animals.
- Pasture - also dangerous for animals and humans. It carries fever, plague, brucellosis, encephalitis. Lives in southern steppes and forests.
Man's neighbors:
- Armored - lives in the soil. It feeds on plants, fungi, lichens. Dangerous for animals as a distributor of helminths.
- Ear - harmless to humans. It feeds on the earwax of animals. Can carry some diseases.
- Dust - lives in mattresses, pillows and carpets. Feeds on skin particles, can cause asthma. Not much of a concern in small amounts.
- Gossamer - herbivore. It feeds on plant sap. It sticks to the leaf and draws juice from it. Capable of completely destroying the plant.
- Predatory - curious because it feeds on other ticks. It is often used in greenhouses to kill the cobweb fellow.
- Barn - more dangerous for products. Contaminates flour and grain with waste products.
What is the danger?
The above are the mostmalicious members of this family. The most dangerous ones are easy to recognize. The size gives them away. As a rule, it is from 3 to 5 mm, dressed in chitinous plates. A female who drank blood can increase in size up to 10 times. The danger of these creatures is not at all in their bites, although they sometimes cause itching. Often, the saliva of the tick contains an anesthetic, so that the person does not feel anything at all. The main danger lies in the transmission through the saliva of the parasite of various diseases obtained from animals. About two percent of those bitten become infected with encephalitis.
A tick bite can cause:
- Encephalitis.
- Epilepsy.
- Borreliosis.
- Arthritis.
- Arrhythmia.
- Pneumonia.
- Incapacity.
It is important to remember that infection can be obtained not only through a bite, but also with the help of the victim. An infected tick can only be distinguished from a normal one in a laboratory.
Tick activity is highest in spring. In especially hot summers and warm autumns, tick hunting for humans can last from April to the end of October. The parasite does not immediately bite into a person. Once on the skin, it can travel through the body for several hours, looking for a suitable place. The most "comfortable places": armpits, groin, scalp, neck, back. A parasite can attack a person both from the ground and from above, for example from a tree. If, after a walk in nature and a thorough inspection, the enemy is still discovered, you should not panic and faint. Below are safe ways to remove ticks.
Remove on our own
How to pull out a tick? The ideal option would, of course, be to go to a medical facility, an emergency room and an ambulance. But let's say that for some reason this option is not considered (far away, once, etc.). Then how to pull out a tick from a person at home? It is important to remember that in no case should the head of the tick be allowed to come off. Otherwise, the whole procedure will be useless. The poison and infection are in the saliva. Taking off the calf will do nothing.
Special tools
In pharmacies and some stores, special devices and medical instruments are sold with which you can remove a tick. These include:
- Tick Twister is a tool that looks like a small nail puller. The tick is picked up under the head and pulled to the surface with rotational movements.
- Ticked Off - a small spoon with a slot at an acute angle. The principle of pulling out is the same as with a hook. Small size allows you to use the tool as a keychain.
- Pro-Tick is a record with a notch made at an acute angle. The principle of operation is no different from the previous ones. A feature can be considered a magnifying glass built into the plate. Thanks to him, you can better see the parasite that attacked you.
- Tick Key - aluminum plates of different colors with a tear-shaped hole. The tick is picked up by the narrow part of the hole and gently pulled out. The original appearance allows you to carry it with you as a key ring.
- Trix Tix Lasso - similaron a small fountain pen. When the button is pressed, a loop is released. The tick is captured under the base of the head, the button is released, the loop is tightened. With rotational movements, the spider is pulled outward.
Retrieval with medical instruments
It is not recommended to use medical tools to remove ticks. The fact is that this requires some skill, since there is a high probability of crushing the tick's abdomen or tearing off its head. But if there are no other options, then how to pull out a tick from a person? The two main methods are described below:
- Medical tweezers. The principle is the same as described above. Grab the tick under the head as deep as possible. It's best to loosen it up a bit first. Then, with rotational movements, gently pull it out. The edges of the tweezers can easily damage the body of the tick, so you have to be very careful.
- Disposable syringe. The ideal option is two-millimeter or insulin. It is necessary to trim the edge of the syringe as evenly as possible. Thus, we get a hollow cylinder. We press it to the affected area so that the tick is inside. We pull the piston towards us, and the vacuum will pull out the tick and the substances that it managed to inject.
Tick removal without tools
How to pull out a tick at home without tools? You can try to do this only in some special critical situations. In this case, it is easy to harm the bitten person even more andget infected yourself. Official medicine does not approve of "amateur activities", but there are still several folk methods:
- Thread - perhaps, doctors are more favorable to this option. A strong thread is taken, the tick is wrapped around the head, gently loosened. After that, very slowly swinging the parasite, it is pulled out. There is no hurry, the procedure requires a certain amount of endurance and can take up to 20 minutes.
- Oil. The essence of this scheme is quite simple. Put oil on the tick, it will become difficult for him to breathe, and he will begin to get out. Quite possibly. But it is also possible that he will simply die, and will release blood, saliva and poisonous substances before dying.
- Hands. The worst option! It is unacceptable to touch the tick with bare hands. This is the easiest way to crush the parasite and infect yourself. But if there are no other options, you need to use a napkin or something similar. The tick gently and very slowly swings and stretches.
After extraction
The extraction operation is not always successful. It happens that the head with the proboscis remains. All this is removed in the same way as an ordinary splinter. The needle is pre-disinfected with alcohol or vodka.
In any case, the wound must be disinfected with peroxide or iodine and be sure to wash your hands.
The tick must be kept and shown to the laboratory for research no earlier than 2 days later. It is important to bring the parasite alive, so you need to put a couple of wet paper bags with it.
In order to sleep peacefully and notto worry, after 10 days it is advisable to donate blood for analysis, which will reveal the presence of tick-borne encephalitis. Also, testing is mandatory if you feel worse and any unfamiliar symptoms appear.
Pets
Do not forget that pets are at particular risk. Our cats and dogs are prime targets for ticks when walking on lawns and parks. To avoid trouble, after each walk you need to check your little pet for new "friends". The best option would be to carry out prevention before the animal goes outside. To do this, there are various shampoos, collars and drops. All this can be easily found in any veterinary pharmacy. Animal skin is thicker and rougher than human skin, so a tick, having fallen on a cat or dog, begins to look for particularly vulnerable points. The owner should also pay attention to these places when examining the animal after a walk. These are: ears, groin, abdomen, anus. If the enemy is still detected, we will prepare for removal. How to remove a tick from a cat or dog?
Tick removal from cats and dogs
The ideal option would be to take the animal to a specialized clinic. If this is not possible, try to remove the parasite yourself. How do you get a tick out of a dog or cat? This procedure is not much different from the same with a person.
An animal, unlike a person, is difficult to make sit still, itstrives to break free, and this can disrupt the extraction operation. In addition, it is advisable to remove or wet the hair around the affected area so that it does not get in the way. Further, the procedure is no different from extracting the parasite from a person. We take any tool from the above or we throw on a thread and, loosening the tick, carefully pull it out. You can pre-drop it with oil to loosen the grip. After extraction, be sure to disinfect the wound. Not iodine, cats can't stand it!
Precautions
It is enough to follow simple rules in order to significantly reduce the risk of being bitten. There is no need to wear any special clothing. Sometimes it’s enough just to fasten well, put on a hat and tuck your trousers into your shoes. It will be nice to have a tight collar and cuffs on your clothes. After returning, you must carefully examine yourself.
There are many chemicals to protect against parasites. According to the mode of action, they can be divided into three main groups:
- Repellent - repelling parasites ("Reftamid", "Biban", "Extreme").
- Acaricidal - kill or paralyze ticks ("Reftamid taiga", "Fumitoks anti-tick", "Picnic anti-tick").
- Insecticide-repellent - both kill and scare away at the same time ("Mosquito-anti-mite", "Kra-rep").
All these products are sold in stores. Also, do not forget about vaccination. So you canprotect not only yourself, but also your pet. There is such a type of insurance as from a tick bite. It will not save you from an attack by an evil parasite, but perhaps a small payout after a bite will cheer you up a little. Take care of yourself and your loved ones!
