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Tick Bites and Safe Tick Removal

June 9th, 2009 Posted in Spiders & Other Arachnids

You run your fingers through your hair. You feel something round fastened to your scalp. What is it? Chances are, it’s a tick.

Ticks are classified as arthropods, joint-legged animals with no backbones (also includes spiders, bees, ants, scorpions, etc). Over 800 tick species exist worldwide. Most ticks are harmless and cause no problems; however, they are the leading disease carrier to humans in the United States, only second to the mosquito worldwide. Since they can be dangerous, it is important to learn about these little blood-sucking creatures.

This article will discuss:

• How a tick bites
• Kinds of ticks
• Tick bite symptoms
• When to seek medical care after a tick bite
• Tick paralysis
• Safe tick removal techniques

How does a tick bite?

First, the tick finds a suitable attachment on a pet, deer, rabbit, or even you. When it bites into the skin of the host, it burrows deep into the skin with its mouth. A tick’s mouth is barbed so it can securely grasp onto the skin. Most commonly, the tick secretes a liquid called cementum that allows it to firmly grasp the host with its mouth. In some ticks, the saliva contains a blood thinner that makes it easier for the tick to drink the blood.

Kinds of Ticks

There are two kinds of ticks: hard ticks (most common) and soft ticks. Hard tick characteristics include:

• A tough back plate called the scutum
• They can attach to feed from a host for hours or days
• They can transmit disease; most commonly at the end of feeding time once it is full of blood

Common types of hard ticks include:

• Wood ticks
• Deer ticks
• Lone star ticks
• American dog ticks

Soft ticks are less common, but more dangerous. Soft tick characteristics include:

• Rounded bodies, but no scutum
• Usually feed for less than an hour
• Can transmit disease to a host in less than one minute
• Produce painful bite reactions

Common types of soft ticks include:

• Pajaroello tick
• Spinose ear tick

Tick Bite Symptoms

After a tick bite and removal, the host is usually left unharmed. However, the following serious symptoms may indicate disease:

• Flu-like symptoms
• Fever
• Rash
• Numbness
• Confusion
• Weakness
• Joint pain and swelling
• Heart palpitations
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea/vomiting

When should I seek medical care after a tick bite?

It is important to seek medical care after a tick bite if:

• You experience fatigue, headache, or rashes
• You cannot remove the tick
• Significant amounts of the tick’s head/mouthparts remain stuck inside the skin after removal
• You are pregnant

It is important to seek emergency medical care after a tick bite if you experience:

• Fever
• Severe headache
• Confusion
• Numbness
• Vomiting
• Difficulty breathing
• Heart palpitations

Tick Paralysis

Tick paralysis is a very rare tick bite effect, but it can cause very serious symptoms. This occurs when certain ticks secrete a dangerous neurotoxin and remain attached to the host for several days.
The toxin is not present in tick saliva until late feeding stages, so the paralysis cannot occur until the tick has been attached for several days. Tick paralysis is most common when a tick is attached to the back of the skull near the spine. Despite extreme symptoms, tick paralysis is quickly reversible by simply detaching the tick from the body.
Symptoms of tick paralysis include:

• Anorexia
• Lethargy
• Muscle weakness
• Impaired coordination
• Nystagmus (involuntary shaking or wobbling of the eyes)

How do I safely remove a tick?

There are important steps in safely removing a tick. If not done properly, the chances of disease transmittal increase. To safely remove a tick:

• Use a small pair of curved forceps or tweezers
• Wear gloves to prevent the spread of bacteria to your hands
• Grasp the tick with the tweezers as close to the skin as possible
• Gently pull until the tick comes free (do not twist it or turn it)
• After it is removed, rinse it down the sink or flush it down the toilet (do not crush it because that can transmit disease)
• If significant parts of the head/mouthparts are left in the skin, removal by a doctor may be necessary
• Thoroughly cleanse the bit area with soap and water or an antiseptic
• Apply antibiotic cream to the area
• Clean and disinfect any instruments that were used to remove the tick

Unsafe methods may cause injury to the host or cause the tick to regurgitate disease-causing germs. These methods should NOT be used in tick removal:

• Burning the tick with a hot match head
• Covering the tick with gasoline, petroleum jelly, paint, or nail polish

Katlyn Ziegler