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Tick Bites
The seriousness of a tick bite can vary, depending on where you live. For most
people, a tick bite is problematic because it is unpleasant and can become
infected, but for those who live in an area that is endemic for Lyme disease, a
tick bite can mean the transmission of a serious disease.
To prevent
this, remove the tick by grasping the tick with tweezers, as near the skin as
possible, and gently pull it straight out without squeezing it, since this can
result in bacteria being injected into the bite if the tick is infected. Do not
try to remove the tick with your fingers or use lighted cigarettes, matches, or
nail polish.
Thoroughly
cleanse the area and apply alcohol and antibiotic cream. Save the tick so that
your state of local Health Department can identify it for epidemiological
purposes and to determine if it was a disease carrier. Identification is
important where Lyme disease is suspected. Lyme disease is caused by a
spirochete bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, which is a zoonosis, meaning it is
primarily an animal disease that can infect humans and it is usually transmitted
by insect vector.
The disease is
reported worldwide and throughout the United States, especially in the states of
New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Wisconsin and New Jersey.
Different ticks carry the disease in different regions. Ixodes dammini, which is
a parasite of deer, carries the disease in the Northeast and Midwest, Ixodes
scapularis (the black-legged tick) is responsible for cases of Lyme disease
reported in the South, while Ixodes pacificus (the western black-legged tick)
spreads the disease in the West. It is possible that Dermacentor variabilis (the
American dog tick) may also be capable of transmitting the disease.
Not all ticks
are infected, and infected deer ticks are responsible for most of the cases of
Lyme disease in the north-eastern United States. These ticks are found in grassy
areas (including lawns), and in brushy, shrubby and woodland sites. The tick has
three life stages takes a blood meal from a warm blooded animal, including man,
at each stage to complete the life cycle. When humans are infected with the Lyme
disease bacterium, a characteristic rash or lesion that looks like a red, bull's
eye type ring, called erythema migrans, is seen within a few days to weeks.
During this time period, with or without the rash, victims will experience flu
like symptoms, such as headache, sore throat, stiff neck, fever, muscle aches,
fatigue and general malaise. If a rash is present, take a picture of it to show
your physician to aid in the Lyme disease diagnosis, which can e difficult to
make. Often, these early symptoms disappear, without a diagnosis or treatment,
which may lead to serious problems late.
The later
symptoms of Lyme disease can be quite severe since muscle pain and arthritis,
usually of the large joints, as well as neurological symptoms, including
meningitis, numbness, Bell's palsy (loss of control of one or both sides of the
face), severe pain and fatigue and depression may all occur. Heart, eye,
respiratory and gastrointestinal problems can also develop. Symptoms often come
and go and chronic Lyme disease resembles several other diseases, complicating
diagnosis and treatment. Lyme disease should be treated with antibiotics at the
onset to lessen the possibility of developing chronic disease and the severity
of any later symptoms that do occur. |
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