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Which ticks are dangerous to humans? Signs of a tick bite in a person, symptoms and possible consequences

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 forecasts are bad: death or complications such as 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. – Incubation period illness - 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.

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.
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).
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

How dangerous are ticks to humans? In addition to the fact that the insect sucks blood from a person, it injects its saliva into the victim’s body, which contains an infection. That is why ticks are the source of a number of severe and dangerous diseases. Many of them are difficult to treat and carry great harm for the whole body. In addition to blood-sucking mites, there are other species that can cause allergies with their bites, as well as severe itchy skin. How dangerous are ticks? This is what we will discuss now.

Diseases caused by tick bites

How dangerous is a tick bite for humans? Let's look at the diseases transmitted by these insects and their symptoms.

Lyme disease, characteristics:

constant state of fatigue;
headache appears;
the bite site becomes a noticeable wound;
a red rash appears on the body;
If treated in a timely manner, it can be easily treated with antibiotics.

Spotted fever, characteristics:

body temperature rises significantly;
arises strong pain in the head;
nausea is observed and vomiting is possible;
muscle soreness is noted;
a rash appears on different areas skin, most often on the wrists, arms and legs;
causes serious complications, in the future, a stroke or impaired renal function is possible.

Tularemia, characteristics:

body chills;
a very high temperature rises;
bothered by headache;
nausea;
lymph nodes are enlarged;
there is swelling in the area of the bite;
an open wound forms;
possible severe consequences, such as pneumonia, peritonitis, gangrene, etc.

Ehrlichiosis, characteristics:

appears from the first day after the bite;
constant nausea and vomiting;
feeling weak;
Strong headache;
inflammation occurs in any organ;
there may be a state of chills;
the outcome of this disease is unpredictable, since the disease can be asymptomatic, or can cause serious damage, even fatal outcome.

Relapsing fever, characteristics:

heartbeat increases significantly;
you feel unbearable pain in your stomach and head;
weakness of the whole body is observed;
feverish condition;
Usually cured without consequences, no fatal outcome is observed.

Encephalitis, characteristics:

the temperature stays around 39;
there is a fever;
severe chills;
weakness of the whole body, muscle soreness;
there is a pronounced detachment in consciousness;
severe consequences in the form of meningeal syndrome and paralysis;
appears three days after the bite.

Babesiosis, characteristics:

constant feeling of malaise;
complete aversion to food;
general fatigue is felt;
worried about fever and chills;
anemia develops;
the disease provokes renal and liver failure;
profuse sweating.

I would like to note that even if a preliminary vaccination against tick bites has been carried out, it only helps against encephalitis and does not apply to other diseases.

You can see photos of dangerous ticks for humans in the article.

Periods of tick activity

Seasonality is directly related to the activity of ticks and the danger from their bites.

Peculiarities of tick behavior in spring:

the end of April is considered the beginning of tick attacks on humans and animals;
in May the number of individuals increases significantly;
spring is considered the most dangerous period, since during the winter they become very hungry and accumulate a lot of toxic substances;
the probability of contracting encephalitis from the bite of an infected tick is about ninety percent.

Peculiarities of tick behavior in summer:

in early June, females actively attach themselves to mammals in order to begin reproducing offspring when they are full;
by the end of summer, the harm from tick bites decreases, since they are no longer so hungry and the concentration of poison in saliva decreases.

Peculiarities of tick behavior in autumn:

in September activity decreases significantly;
If the autumn is warm, you can get a tick bite in October.

If the summer is very hot, then the activity of ticks noticeably decreases, since they cannot tolerate heat above thirty degrees. These insects hibernate at plus four.

Which ticks are considered dangerous to humans?

Types of dangerous ticks

Among the mites that cause harm to human activities, the following types are distinguished.

Barn mites, characteristics:

settle in flour and cereals;
if they come into contact with a person, they cause an allergy;
do not stay on the body for long, as they mainly prefer plants;

Bed mites, characteristics:

found in bed linen, carpets and mattresses;
feed on dead human cells and scales;
can provoke allergies in the form of rashes and itching, in in rare cases cause bronchial asthma.

Dust mites, characteristics:

live in an apartment on furniture in the dust;
a person is allergic to them;

Scabies mites, characteristics:

very small in size, almost impossible to detect on the human body;
transmitted through touch or common household objects;
conducts its activity directly under the skin, gnawing tunnels in it and thereby causing severe itching.

Which tick is the most dangerous for humans?

Ixodid ticks, description:

oval shape, the body itself is flat;
the color range varies from light shades of brown to black;
covered with durable and elastic chitin, which cannot be crushed, but at the same time, as it fills with blood, it stretches well;
tick eggs are oval, no more than a millimeter;
The stages of development include the stages of larva, nymph and imago.

Among all the diseases transmitted by ixodid ticks, encephalitis is considered the most dangerous. It can occur in mild or severe form. In the first case, a person experiences a feverish state, which completely disappears after a couple of weeks. In the second, the brain is affected, which leads to paralysis, mental disorders or even death.

Tick habitats

To avoid tick bites, you should know where they live. Ticks prefer to settle and attack their prey in the following places:

in areas with dense and wet vegetation;
in shaded areas full of foliage;
in undergrowth;
in the meadows;
at the bottom of ravines full of moisture;
in thickets near water bodies;
in the grass on well-trodden paths.

That is why you should be wary of tall grass, from which ticks can jump on humans or animals, and not trees, as many believe.

Bite symptoms

The fact is that it is impossible to immediately determine and detect the moment of a tick bite, since it does this absolutely painlessly by introducing natural anesthetics under the skin. However, after a few hours, the following symptoms may appear:

These symptoms indicate the penetration of infection into the blood and the beginning of infection.

How to detect a tick bite

in the axillary region;
on the shoulders and forearms;
on inside hips;
in the groin area;
in the place where the elastic band of the pants is located;
behind the ears;
between the shoulder blades;
under the knee;
in and under the chest area.

Children should be examined especially carefully, because their skin is thin and delicate, which makes it easy for a tick to attach itself to any part of the body. The most important thing is that when you find an insect, do not panic, do not try to brush it off or pull it out.

What should I do if bitten by a tick

Self-removal of ticks

a thread is taken and a loop is tightened as close as possible to the proboscis;
then they carefully pull out the insect, making sure that the head does not come off and get stuck in the skin.

To remove it you will need regular tweezers or tweezers;
The tick is clamped and slowly begins to twist in one direction.

take a regular five-cc insulin syringe;
the beginning of the syringe along with the tube is cut off with a knife;
the desired area is moistened with water and the prepared syringe is tightly applied to it;
slowly pull the piston, thereby sucking out the body and head of the tick.

if the head of the tick remains under the skin, then a sewing needle can help;
it is burned until it darkens, and the bite site is moistened with alcohol;
the needle is carefully inserted under the head of the tick, then lifted, thereby removing the remains of the insect;

Precautionary measures

You already know how dangerous ticks are. Are there any precautions? These tips are familiar to many, and it is simply necessary to follow them:

Avoid wet areas with tall grass;
you need to be especially careful during the period when ticks are active (May-June);
if you are planning a walk in nature, clothing must be appropriate; it's best if she is white, tight-fitting, covering the body to the maximum;
Don’t forget about a hat, because finding a tick in your hair is very difficult;
You can first get vaccinated, which can protect you from encephalitis;
before a walk, treat exposed areas of the body by special means from ticks;
upon returning home, you should carefully examine yourself;
since the tick tries to get to soft places before biting, their inspection needs to be taken more carefully;
If you are nevertheless bitten by an encephalitis tick, then within three days you need to have time to give an injection of immunoglobulin, which will block the virus.

Follow these rules and be healthy!

Ticks are a large subclass of arthropods, which includes more than 54 thousand species. These are mainly creatures up to 5 millimeters in size with six pairs of appendages and characteristic mouthparts. What are the types of ticks that pose a danger to humans?

Harmful representatives are distinguished by a variety of forms with a relatively small number of species. Greatest harm Ticks do not cause harm through their bites, but through their consequences. The oral apparatus of these arthropods carries a large number of dangerous diseases - encephalitis, Lyme disease, plague, typhus, hemorrhagic fever and Q fever. Other species are provocateurs of skin diseases - scabies, demodicosis.

Dermancetoids can be distinguished from other mites by their characteristic coloring with brown stripes on the back.

If you find a large tick that has already drunk blood, it is recommended to carefully remove it and take it for analysis to any sanitary unit. This precaution will help you recognize diseases that may come with a bite in time.
Ixodes

In the literature you can find another name - the armored mite, so named for its strong chitinous coverings.

The arthropod is active in the spring and summer. It is rarely possible to avoid ixodid tick bites, so doctors recommend using special vaccines against encephalitis. You should worry about using it in advance - immunity appears only two weeks after the injection. But such a small precaution can protect you and your loved ones from a fatal disease.

Morphologically, several varieties of ixodid ticks are distinguished. The black mite loves dark, damp places. The characteristic color of its integument, as well as its small size, distinguishes it from other arthropods of this group.

The white ixodid tick has a creamy, whitish abdomen. The closely related gray ixodid tick is best recognized. This is the type of tick that people most often find on themselves.

Argasovy

Gamazovy

In the literature it is found under the name demodex. Demodex is a normal inhabitant of human skin. Problems begin when it multiplies excessively against a background of weakened immunity, poor nutrition or taking antibiotics. Uncontrolled reproduction of mites manifests itself in the form of demodicosis. This is an acute inflammatory process on the integument, accompanied by severe itching, acne, extensive areas of redness of the affected skin. Treatment subcutaneous mite Dermatologists are involved.

Scabies

Ear

It is extremely rare in humans. The main hosts of this arthropod are cats and dogs. This arthropod causes them acute inflammation middle and outer ear, which without treatment can develop into otitis media or even meningitis.

Bed

Arachnoid

The representative is not harmful to humans and animals. Plants, including cultivated ones, suffer most from it. In plants, mites not only damage the integument and suck out nutritious juices from the roots, but are also carriers of extremely dangerous diseases.

Predatory

It is a very large arachnid arthropod that feeds on ticks. It is common where there are large numbers of dust mites. It is absolutely safe and even useful for humans. The predatory mite is a natural controller of populations of other microscopic arthropods.

Barn

Also found as flour or bread mites. Getting into the granary along with unprocessed grain or the remains of cereal crops, it feeds on both flour and already finished products. The presence of eggs or adults in food can lead to allergic reactions and digestive disorders.

Ticks belong to the class of arachnids. More than 48,000 species of ticks are known. Ticks live in all climatic zones, on all continents. Not all ticks are dangerous to humans. Most varieties feed on decaying organic matter, fungi, and plants and contribute to the formation of humus, a nutrient layer of soil.

Most ticks are very small - up to 0.4 mm. But individual species reach a size of over 1 cm. Having sucked on the blood of an animal or person, a tick can increase up to 2.5 cm. Ticks that feed on the blood of animals and people carry various infections, viruses, including deadly ones. Therefore, everyone should definitely know which ticks are dangerous to humans, what they look like, where they live, and what danger they pose.

Which ticks are dangerous to humans?

Here are some types of ticks that can cause harm to humans, from the least dangerous to the most dangerous ticks in the world:

Granary mites (flour, grain). They live in places where cereals, grains, and flour are stored. They can attack people and cause allergic reactions. They quickly leave the human body, as they prefer plant foods.
Bed mite. Lives in blankets, pillows, mattresses, carpets, house slippers. It feeds not on human blood, but on dead cells that every person loses every day (for example, in the form of dandruff). The danger to humans is allergic reaction on mite secretions, which can manifest itself in itching, skin rashes, in the most severe cases bed mites cause bronchial asthma.
Dust mite. Lives in the dust of an apartment. The life activity and danger are similar to the bed tick.
Scabies mite (itching). Has very small size, up to 0.3 mm, it is almost impossible to notice it on the skin. The tick is transmitted from one person to another by touching, shaking hands, sharing things in everyday life. The mite drills tunnels in the top layer skin and moves along them. The activity of the mite causes severe itching.

The most dangerous ticks in the world

Ixodid ticks are extremely prolific, with the female laying up to 17,000 eggs. But not many individuals survive to adulthood. The tick itself is not particularly dangerous, main danger is that it can carry many infections. The most serious tick-borne infection is encephalitis.

In the very mild case encephalitis occurs in the form of fever, the symptoms of which disappear without a trace after about 10 days. If the virus affects the brain, the consequences can be the most terrible: paralysis, mental disorders, death.

To avoid danger, you need to take precautions when going into nature, into the forest. If a tick is found embedded in the body, you need to remove it correctly, treat the bite site, and submit the tick to the laboratory for examination. It is advisable to consult a doctor and get tested so that, if necessary, treatment can be started on time.