A tick bite to a person, why it is dangerous and what the consequences may be. Why are ticks dangerous for humans?

Lyme disease

After determining that the insect has been infected, it is recommended to take antibiotics; when therapy is not started on time, pathologies of the joints, heart, nervous system.

Spotted fever

This disease can most often be transmitted during times of greater insect activity. This disease carries mortal danger. Complications include inflammation of the brain, lungs, and heart. Marked renal failure, amputation of the affected limbs is possible, death.

Tularemia

The disease is one of the rarest serious illnesses, which can only be cured if detected at an early stage with the help of antibiotics. Complications include pneumonia, meningitis, pericarditis, and osteomyelitis. If treatment is not started, it leads to death.

Ehrlichiosis

Conclusions about the disease occur after clinical results. People who did not receive on time medical care, may be susceptible severe consequences. This is especially true for patients with weakened immune systems; this category is more at risk of life-threatening manifestations. Transmitted ehrlichiosis has its consequences: heart and kidney failure, coma, disruption of the respiratory system, convulsions.

Relapsing fever

Relapsing fever, transmitted through a tick bite, is characterized by febrile attacks that last for several days with a frequency of up to 4 times. With proper treatment, recovery occurs within short time. Complications can be noted in the area of ​​neuropathy.

Babesiosis

How dangerous is a tick bite for a person who has become infected with Babesiosis? This disease can destroy red cells, causing a special type of anemia (hemolytic). This leads to jaundice, discharge dark urine, yellowing of the skin. The effects are most active in people with weak immune system, especially for patients with cancer, lymphoma, AIDS. Complications include instability blood pressure, hemolysis, thrombocytopenia, dissipation of coagulation (leads to bleeding, clot formation). Allergic reactions, pathological disruptions in the functioning of the liver, lungs, kidneys, sometimes with death, are possible.

Symptoms

Most diseases transmitted by ticks have similar symptoms to flu-like symptoms.

• headache;
• feverish condition;
• nausea;
• vomiting reflex;
• pain in muscle tissue;

Attention

A person who has been bitten can feel unpleasant symptoms immediately after an insect bite, and also 10-15 days later.

• Lyme disease causes fatigue, headaches, a sore spot on the skin, and a reddish and petechial rash.
• Spotted fever causes high fever, severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, and pain in the joints and muscles. The rash appears first on the wrists, then moves to the ankles, legs, arms and other parts of the body.
• Tularemia is identified by chills, high dangerous temperature, headache, open wound at the site of the bite, swelling of the glands in the affected area, nausea, vomiting. Symptoms appear within three weeks.
• Ehrlichiosis appears from the first day to the third week. Marked: nausea, malaise, vomiting, chills, rash, headache.
• Relapsing fever has the most pronounced character: rapid heartbeat, headache, severe fever, abdominal pain, weakness. Symptoms appear from the third to the tenth day.
• Tick-borne encephalitis is manifested by fever and chills. The incubation period lasts for a short time from 3 to 4 days.
• Babesiosis has symptoms of general malaise, decreased appetite, fatigue, fever, chills, sweating, which appear immediately, as well as pass. Manifestations begin from the first to the fourth week after the bite.

Why are ticks dangerous for dogs and cats?

Due to the fact that ticks attack all warm-blooded organisms, pathogens of serious diseases can enter people's homes on the fur of domestic animals.
Diseases that are transmitted by ticks in dogs have different symptoms.

Granulocytic anaplasmosis

Appears in animals older than 8 years. Marked by symptoms: chills, loss of appetite, muscle pain, lethargy. Sometimes vomiting, cramps, diarrhea, and cough are possible. The incubation period can last from 7 to 15 days.

Piroplasmosis or Babesiosis

Most often seen in animals fighting breed. Symptoms: chills, loss of appetite, lethargy. If you don't start timely treatment, the animal can endure the disease for a long time. Infection occurs on the first day incubation period lasts from 7 to 14 days.

Borreliosis (Lyme disease)

It has no obvious symptoms, but refusal of food, enlarged lymph nodes are possible, and infection begins a day after the bite. The incubation period is 30 days.

Monocytic ehrlichiosis

Does not have accurate data on the incubation period. Characterized by a variety of symptoms associated with general condition animal.

Hepatozoonos

It develops when an insect enters the gastrointestinal tract of an animal. Symptoms include fever with chills, weight loss, muscle pain, and pale mucous membranes. The incubation period lasts up to two weeks.

Cyclic thrombocypenia

The incubation period is up to half a month. Symptoms for severe forms of the disease: swollen lymph nodes, nosebleeds, fever, lethargy, chills.

Demodicosis

Wounds on the skin, baldness, loss of hair, with auricular demodicosis, itching in the ears, a large number of dark sulfur, redness.

Removing ticks

There is no need to use liquids with a pungent odor (ammonia, gasoline). You should avoid using compresses, ointments, handling fire, or using cigarettes. Do not suddenly pull an insect out of skin, use undisinfected tools, pick the bite site with sharp objects, crush the tick with your fingers.

Following actions

After removing the pest, you need to carefully monitor your health for several days. To do this, you need to control your body temperature and monitor your general state of health. It is necessary to regularly examine the affected area of ​​the bite and be sure to see a specialist who will prescribe a course of therapy.

To completely rule out possible infection, a blood test is required. The test must be done several days after the bite. To avoid an unpleasant meeting with a small enemy, you need to take preventive measures security.

Prevention

People should not stay in nature for a long time, near swamps and tall grass. Avoid areas where there may be a concentration of ticks (shaded areas). In the forest, fishing, hunting and just on a picnic, you need to wear fully covered clothes with trousers tucked into high shoes. Clothes must have a tight-fitting collar and headdress. Before going out into nature, you need to use special repellent products to treat your clothes.

If you pay special attention to your health and your four-legged friend, then you won’t have to deal with unpleasant incidents of tick attacks.

A microscopic insect - a tick - often causes panic in people. A small bug can make them paranoid, constantly inspecting their own skin and thick fur. pet. How dangerous ticks are and what diseases they cause, we’ll find out right now.

Appearance

How do ticks attack?

Why is tick saliva dangerous?

1. The effect of anesthesia so that a person or animal does not show concern and does not interfere with the insect doing its dirty deed.
2. Suppressing the immune system so that it does not provoke tick rejection.
3. Destruction of tissue and vessel walls, allowing blood to flow freely through the trunk.

The most dangerous diseases

What viruses does this little bug carry? First of all, this In an infected person, the infection affects the nervous system: various types of neurological disorders which can ultimately even lead to death. The incubation period lasts about two weeks, after which the patient feels weak and tired, his body temperature rises, accompanied by muscle pain and headaches. After five days the symptoms disappear, but after a week they come back with a vengeance. In addition, irreversible changes occur in the brain. The patient needs immediate medical attention.

Are ticks dangerous for dogs? Undoubtedly. Like humans, animals can contract another terrible infection - borreliosis. In this case, not only the nervous system is affected, but also the cardiovascular system. At first, the disease, the incubation period of which lasts a month, resembles ARVI. If therapy is started in time, it can be cured with antibiotics. Otherwise, the person will remain disabled. As for dogs, they will also suffer from severe joint damage, remaining lame and crippled for the rest of their lives.

Another one dangerous infection - hemorrhagic fever. She hits everything internal organs person. At first, the disease resembles ordinary poisoning, but already in its second stage complications may arise: toxic shock, kidney failure and even cerebral coma. Recovery is long and takes several months. Therefore, if you doubt whether ticks are dangerous, think about these serious consequences which their bite causes.

Diseases in dogs

In addition to borreliosis, our beloved pets are also threatened by other troubles. For example, bartonellosis is a bacterial infection of red blood cells, macrophages and endothelial cells. Symptoms include fever, drowsiness, weight loss, inflammation of the eyelids and joints, weakness of the hind limbs, and anemia. Although sometimes the disease can be completely latent: owners are sincerely surprised when their seemingly healthy dog ​​suddenly dies. If the virus is not treated, it causes complications such as bleeding and meningitis.

To the so-called blood diseases Also included is ehrlichiosis, against which the dog loses weight, experiences constant hemorrhages, and develops shortness of breath. If the disease is not treated, it leads to severe lesions all organs.

Are ticks dangerous for cats?

Our favorite furry creatures are also not immune to serious diseases carried by insects. The most famous among them is hemobartonellosis. Its main symptoms are loss of appetite and complete apathy. In some cases, anemia is observed, which is accompanied by weight loss, rapid heartbeat, pallor Some housewives notice that the cat begins to eat dirt or garbage. Without timely assistance the animal may die from complications caused by anemia.

Now you understand how dangerous ticks are to humans and animals. In most cases they cause serious problems health problems that lead to either disability or death. Even timely treatment does not guarantee the absence of complications - chronic disorders work of internal organs, systems, joints. When visiting your doctor, ask about proper therapy. Strictly follow all instructions, including daily routine and balanced nutrition.

How to get a tick?

How dangerous are ticks to humans? Because they are carriers of deadly viruses. To avoid getting sick, prevention is necessary: ​​constant examination of the skin after visiting the forest, choosing closed clothing during walks in nature. If, despite all the tricks, the tick manages to attach itself to the body, it must be removed as quickly as possible. There are three effective ways.

The most common diseases in our latitudes that can be contracted from ticks are encephalitis and borreliosis (also known as Lyme disease). The first is caused by a virus, and the second by a bacterium. Both microorganisms live in the saliva of the negative hero of our story.

Helped us:
Evgeniy Gritsenko
Traumatologist at the MedicCity clinic

With viruses modern medicine does not cope very well: on early stage infection can be prevented from multiplying, but if the attack has taken place, the only hope is the patient’s own immunity. Humanity kills bacteria with great enthusiasm - with the help of antibiotics. Therefore, speaking very roughly and unscientifically, borreliosis is good (it can be treated), but encephalitis is not so much.

Tick-borne encephalitis

Encephalitis can occur as meningitis - inflammation of the membranes of the brain. Then, with proper treatment in a hospital, there is a chance to recover in two or three weeks. If in inflammatory process are involved Gray matter And spinal cord, then the prognosis is poor: death or complications in the form of paralysis.

Borreliosis is not such a widespread problem as encephalitis. However, death cannot be ruled out. The process may involve nerves, the membranes of the brain, and the infection can cause inflammation of the heart muscle (myocardium) or the serous membrane of the heart (pericardium). Paralysis is also possible as a complication.

There are no vaccinations against borreliosis. “In his case, the tactics are usually wait-and-see,” says Evgeniy. – The incubation period of the disease is a week. First symptom tick-borne borreliosis- temperature increase. Total: you need to measure it regularly for 7 days and if it increases, call an ambulance, specifying how many days ago you removed the tick.” Another manifestation is redness around the bite site. On early stages As the disease progresses, it may pass for a pimple, but over time, red circles spread throughout the body.

Borreliosis is treated, as we have already mentioned, with antibiotics: injections under the supervision of a doctor for two to three weeks. If this is started on time, then the disease will proceed like a mild flu, and will not reach inflammation of the nerves or heart. Even when a person seeks help with advanced borreliosis, in a large percentage of cases complications can be avoided. But you shouldn't take risks.

Where do ticks hide?

Familiarize yourself with the tick's hunting habits so you know where to expect danger.

1. On the branches
   The “predator” can sit on a branch for months, waiting for food to stroll from below. He is completely blind, but can sense the vibration of steps, and also focuses on the source carbon dioxide, which is exhaled by warm-blooded creatures. Having identified the victim, the tick falls on it and crawls until it finds the ideal place for suction.. Therefore, today the most effective method prevention - treating the edges of clothing (collar, cuffs, bottom of trousers) with special anti-mite repellents.
2. In grass
   “Many people think that they can protect themselves by walking along the edges, away from trees,” says Evgeniy Gritsenko. - However, it has already been proven that ticks take root well in the grass and from there they have every chance of crawling up – onto shoes, socks, trousers." Therefore, during the period of bloodsucking rampage, do not plan picnics - especially in places where last years Encephalitic reptiles were discovered several times (for example, in the Dmitrovsky and Taldomsky districts of the Moscow Region).
3. On animals
   Dogs and cats walking on their own must be treated with protective drugs that repel ticks. The products are available in the form of drops (at the withers) or special collars. "However even a treated animal can get ticks, says our expert. - There is a chance that, without sucking, it will crawl onto a person. Especially if a dog or cat comes into bed with the owner.” Therefore, it is highly recommended to sleep only with representatives of your own species (especially in the summer) or examine your pets before letting them under the covers.

Latest information on ticks

1936 cases of tick-borne encephalitis were registered in Russia
in 2014.

5898 diseases with borreliosis after a tick bite were detected in Russia last year.

40% of these infections occur in Siberia and the Far East, where forests occupy most of the space and bloodsuckers are especially aggressive and infected.

761 cases of borreliosis were registered in Moscow in 2014.

5% owners of “sick” ticks were picked up in the city(in Serebryany Bor, Izmailovsky and other forest parks), the rest brought reptiles from the Moscow region and trips around Russia. Bingo: no deaths!

1 tick, removed from a Muscovite in 2014, turned out to be encephalitic. As it turned out, an unlucky man brought it from Karelia. So that you can sleep peacefully: the victim was saved - he was vaccinated on time.

According to Rospotrebnadzor

Almost every person goes to the forest in the summer. There he collects mushrooms, berries and... ticks. How dangerous is a tick bite for humans? Every year more and more people are bitten by ticks. These usually include:

• mushroom pickers;
• berry pickers;
• summer residents;
• tourists;
• lovers of outdoor recreation.

What is the danger of a bite from this small insect? There are more than 40 thousand species of ticks in nature. Almost all of them feed on mushrooms, plant debris, and small animals. But some ticks feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals. Their bites bring great harm to a person. When biting the skin, pathogens of various diseases can be transmitted to a person. The most dangerous of them:

• tick-borne encephalitis;
• monocytic ehrlichiosis;
• Lyme disease.

Encephalitis begins in the same way as the flu: it appears heat, aching joints, headaches. But after a few days the picture changes dramatically. The temperature rises sharply, headaches and joint aches intensify. To all this is added vomiting and even a feverish state. Ultimately, this leads to the bitten person suffering from damage to the brain and nervous system, epilepsy and paralysis. The risk of death is very high, so when the slightest sign If you are bitten by a tick, you should immediately seek help from a doctor.

Ehrlichiosis and Lyme disease begin with a fever. People feel joint laxity and pain. Then disturbances occur in the functioning of the nervous system, in the activity of the heart and blood vessels, musculoskeletal functions are impaired. Serious illnesses can also be obtained by removing an insect from a domestic animal or by consuming the milk of a goat or cow infected with the insect.

The greatest activity of ticks is observed in the spring. In May, their numbers increase significantly. But even in other summer months, these arthropods are very interested in warm-blooded creatures. Insect bites can be expected even in September and October. The male attaches itself for a fairly short time. He very quickly restores the supply of spent nutrients in your body. But the female is very gluttonous. After drinking blood, she lays more than 1,000 eggs. Microscopically sized larvae emerge from them after a short time. Then these larvae turn into nymphs - young ticks. The peak of activity for them will begin in a year.

How to resist ticks

Insects attach themselves unnoticed by humans. Their saliva contains anesthetic substances, due to which the skin completely loses sensitivity. The greatest danger comes from spring bites. Further, the danger decreases and disappears. In the spring, ticks are hungry; poison has accumulated in their saliva in huge quantities. It is at this time of year that up to 90% of bites are caused by tick-borne encephalitis. It is very difficult to recover from it. Of the 40,000 species of ticks, only 2 species are the most dangerous - the taiga tick and the European forest tick.

The taiga species usually lives in Asian regions, the forest species - in the European part of the mainland. They have a strong shell that is difficult to crush. Females have a special stretchable rear part of the body. They are capable of sucking tens and hundreds of times their own weight in blood. The danger of ticks lies in the fact that it is impossible to separate the harmful insect from other species. There are many sick animals in the forests. The encephalitis virus can develop in the blood of domestic and wild animals. These also include small individuals: voles, shrews, chipmunks, and squirrels. An insect that drinks infected blood becomes infected itself. From this moment on, the virus develops in his blood and salivary glands.

To partially protect yourself from bites, you should avoid wet places in the forest. These are the places where ticks live. It can be:

• willows along streams and rivers;
• the bottom of ravines;
• undergrowth;
• grass;
• deciduous deposits.

Bloodsuckers have a good sense of smell. They are waiting for the victim forest paths. Insects sense the approach of a person at a distance of about 10 m.

When going out into the forest, it is recommended to dress in light-colored clothing that fits tightly to the body. On your head you need to have a scarf or other headdress that fits your head well. It is also a good idea to use tick repellents. Upon returning home, you need to carefully examine yourself and your companions.

If an insect is found during inspection, you should immediately go to the emergency room or SES. If such actions are impossible, the tick is removed independently. The insect body is tied with a strong thread near the proboscis. Then, with slow movements, you need to pull it out of the skin. With sudden movements, the head and proboscis may come off and remain in the skin - this will lead to inflammation. You can put a drop on the tick vegetable oil. Gasping, he himself will try to pull his head out of the skin.

Conclusion on the topic

A tick bite is not dangerous for humans, because... completely painless. The scary thing is that an infection can get into the blood along with saliva. Many thousands of such cases are recorded annually. A tick becomes infected when it bites a sick animal. The carrier of the infection then remains in the insect’s body for its entire life.

It is very difficult to detect a blood-sucking insect that has burrowed into the skin due to its small size. Only after 3-4 days does his body begin to swell in size. The female tick can burrow and suck blood for about 10 days. The male disappears after 1 hour. The more time it stays on a person’s skin, the more infection it will get into circulatory system victims.

It is better not to meet a tick. To avoid being bitten, there are special drugs, repelling insects. But it is not always possible to spray or smear yourself and your pets with this product. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how dangerous a tick bite is for a person and his four-legged friend, otherwise there would not be so many victims.

Real danger to humans

The saddest thing is that in most cases the tragic outcome could have been avoided, but mandatory vaccination no from encephalitis, but at will only a few people do it.

The number of people bitten by ticks is not decreasing; the same picture is observed from year to year - with the arrival of warm weather, long queues of victims of ixodid tick bites gather in the infectious disease specialist’s office.

It is this species that poses a danger to warm-blooded animals, which include humans and their four-legged pets.

According to statistics, 20% of ticks are carriers of the encephalitis virus. They also spread diseases such as:

• Viral hemorrhagic fever;
• Lyme disease;
• Tick-borne typhus;
• Tularemia.

Let's look at each item on this list.

Viral fever

Viral fever is spread by ticks and rodents. The incubation period lasts from two to three weeks. At this time, you may experience slight malaise and periodically a slight increase in temperature.

A febrile state is characterized by a rapid increase in symptoms:

• Temperature rises to 40°,
• Headache combined with insomnia,
• Decreased visual acuity.

A few days later a rash appears on the body. At the same time, the pain intensifies, which was also observed on initial stage, in the lower back.

For hemorrhagic viral fever the kidneys and cardiovascular system are affected, and there is a high probability of hemorrhages in the internal organs. A small tick can lead to big health problems; treatment for this disease can take months.

Lyme disease

We have already talked about this in one of our articles. This is Lyme disease (Lima), which is transmitted by ixodid ticks. The disease is accompanied by damage to the central nervous system, heart, blood vessels and skin.

Characterized by disturbances in the functioning of the musculoskeletal system. Cure does not mean that in the future a person will not be able to get borresiosis; several years after cure it is possible reinfection Lyme disease.

Tick-borne typhus

Compared to other tick-borne diseases, typhus is relatively mild.

• During illness there are rashes on the skin;
• Damage to the lymph nodes is recorded.

Residents of some areas of Siberia, Primorye, and Altai are at risk.

For people who have good immunity, the bite of a tick infected with typhus is not so dangerous; people with low level immunity.

The first symptoms of the disease appear 3–4 days after close contact with the insect. Sometimes the incubation period lasts up to a week. A skin rash is just one of the many symptoms of tick-borne typhus.

• Muscle pain and headaches occur
• Body temperature rises.
• Changes in the skin are observed in the bite area - an ulcer forms.

The rash initially appears on the arms and legs, with new papules constantly appearing.

Tularemia

Tularemia occurs quite rarely from a tick bite; more often, it is caused by the bite of an infected animal and contact with its organs - a person can get sick after cutting up a carcass or dressing the skin.

But since such a danger exists, it will not be superfluous to familiarize yourself with the symptoms of the disease. The disease is accompanied by:

• Increased temperature
• Weakness
• Inflammation of the lymph nodes,
• Formation of purulent buboes.

Treatment of tularemia is possible only in a hospital.

Still, the most dangerous disease caused by a tick bite is encephalitis, since this virus can lead to disability and even death of the victim.

Consequences for animals

Animals suffer no less from tick bites. For dogs they are fraught - the most dangerous disease, often leading to the death of the animal.

Ticks are annoying and poultry. Spirochetosis affects geese and chickens, and this disease occurs in turkeys and ducks.

Laying hens tolerate the disease more easily, but large meat and egg breeds such as Rhode Island often die from spirochetosis. In the presence of vitamin deficiency, the likelihood of death increases.

1. When infected, a chicken loses its appetite and is thirsty.
2. Within a few days she loses significant weight.
3. He walks reluctantly, mostly sits with his eyes closed.
4. After a couple of days, you may notice greenish diarrhea.
5. The bird's wings hang down, and when it tries to move to another place, it staggers.
6. After a maximum of 5 days, the chicken dies in convulsions.

The death of the goose occurs after a week, all this time it has been experiencing increasing weakness.

Types of dangerous ticks

The most dangerous ticks for humans are ixodid ticks. They are larger than other species and are able to feed on blood without leaving the victim for a week or more. These ticks are potential carriers of various viruses.

Those that pose a danger to humans, in addition to Ixodidae, include the following ticks:

• Dust;
• Scabies;
• Bed.

These are very small organisms that are not visible to the naked eye. Dust and bed mites can cause allergic reactions, and scabies provokes a disease such as scabies.

When bitten by a tick

The tick needs to be scrolled, and it doesn’t matter in which direction you do it.

The wound left by an insect bite must be carefully treated. This is done to prevent infection from getting into it. In some cases it is observed allergic reaction to a tick bite, since the enzyme that is injected under the skin contains allergens.

A red itchy spot that bothers you for several days indicates that you need to see a specialist. In addition, an allergy to a bite can manifest itself with the same symptoms that characterize the common cold: cough and runny nose.