Bitten by a Tick? Is a Tick-borne Infection Inevitable?
December 25th, 2009 Posted in Spiders & Other Arachnids
“Alex has a tick on her!” exclaimed my friend when our group of fellow campers performed a routine tick check after a hike. We all panicked—a common reaction to witnessing a tick, especially from a group of preteen girls.
Was Alex a goner?
To our relief (and surprise), Alex survived the attached tick. She didn’t even get bitten.
Turns out, even if you’ve been bitten by a tick, the chances of contracting a tick-borne infection (i.e. bacteria, viruses, or parasites) is slim.
Read on to find out:
- Actual risk from being bitten by a tick
- Precautions to take when bitten by a tick
- What to do if a victim may have tick-borne illness(es)
Actual risk from being bitten by a tick
Many people fear acquiring a tick-borne infection after being bitten, since the bite of infected ticks can pass pathogens to humans.
In the U.S., the most common tick-borne infections and the common regions in which they are found include:
- Lyme disease: Northeast, North Central and Pacific Coast
- Babesiosis: Northeast, Midwest and Northwest
- Ehrlichiosis: East, Southeast and Central
- Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: Southeast and Atlantic Coast
- Anaplasmosis: Northeast, North Central and Pacific Coast
- Southern Tick-Associated Rash Illness: Southeast and Atlantic Coast
- Tick-Borne Relapsing Fever: Rocky Mountains and Pacific Coast
- Tularemia: All U.S. states except Hawaii
Of these, Lyme disease is the most commonly reported. About 29,000 confirmed Lyme disease cases were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2008.
But when should a person bitten by a tick press the panic button?
The risk of developing any of these illnesses depends on a few factors:
- Geographic location (reflected above)
- Season (i.e. summer, fall, winter, or spring)
- Type of tick: only the Ixodes species of deer ticks spread Lyme disease, for example
- How long the tick was attached to the skin (in the case of Lyme disease)
People tend to assume every tick is a threat, but not all ticks carry an infection in the first place; only some ticks are infected with a tick-borne infection.
Also, a tick only spreads infection after having attached and taken a blood meal from its host. But even if an infected tick attaches and feeds, becoming engorged, the risk of acquiring a tick-borne infection is low.
For example, the risk of contracting Lyme disease from a confirmed tick bite is only 1.2-1.4 percent. And generally, if a deer tick is attached but has not yet become engorged, it hasn’t been there long enough to transmit Lyme disease.
Death from a tick-borne illness is rare, but may result in extreme cases.
Bitten by a tick? What to do next
Remember, tick-borne illnesses are spread by a tick bite, not through attachment alone. Although a tick-borne disease is rare, be alert in case any symptoms appear, even if the parasite hasn’t become engorged.
If you or someone you know has been bitten by a tick, take the following actions:
Proper tick removal is important, because if it is not done properly, the chances of disease transmittal increase.
Use tweezers or forceps, and wear gloves to prevent spreading bacteria to your hands.
After removing the tick, treat the tick bite area by cleaning and applying antiobiotic cream. Disinfect the removal apparatus after completing the mission.
Medical attention isn’t always needed, unless a disease has been transmitted or an infection has occurred.
Once you’ve removed the tick, be sure to identify the type of tick that the victim has been bitten by. This is helpful in case the victim needs to see a doctor, so that the doctor can correctly diagnose the possible illness. Ticks can harbor more than one disease-causing agent, which means patients may have more than one pathogen simultaneously, compounding the difficulty in diagnosis and treatment.
Since certain ticks carry certain, associated illnesses, identifying the culprit may help a doctor make a proper diagnosis.
Stay alert for tick-borne illness symptoms
There are a number of symptoms associated with a tick-borne illness; however, any one of these symptoms may fail to appear, and symptoms may overlap in various combinations.
Some common symptoms of infection include:
- Body/muscle aches
- Fever
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Joint pain
- Rash
- Stiff neck
- Facial paralysis
If a victim bitten by a tick shows any combination of these signs, the victim should seek medical attention.
What to do if a victim may have tick-borne illness(es)
If you or someone you know may have an illness, the victim should see a doctor.
Treatment varies depending on:
- Length of attachment
- Type of tick
- Diseases seen in that region
- Symptoms that have developed
Specific medical care depends on the types of pathogen(s) transmitted to the person bitten by a tick.
Some treatments include:
- Cleansing infected area and applying antiobiotic cream.
- Recommending antihistamines to be applied on skin or orally, in case of itchiness.
- Prescribing oral antiobiotics for some diseases.
- Performing blood tests for diagnosing some diseases.
Although acquiring a tick-borne illness is uncommon, be cautious, because rarity doesn’t mean there’s not a chance. Avoid getting bitten by a tick by wearing the best insect repellent you can find.
