Ticks in the summer bring a lot of trouble and even often become dangerous. The troubles mainly relate to the difficulties in how to properly remove the bloodsucker from under the skin and later – how to get rid of itching and inflammation at the bite site. But the dangers from ticks are much more serious. First of all, they can harm allergy sufferers, in whom a tick bite can cause a severe anaphylactic reaction. In addition, ticks often become carriers of serious infectious diseases. Finally, tick-borne dermatosis as a consequence of a tick bite also requires long-term treatment.
Ticks are ubiquitous blood-sucking arachnid parasites that usually have natural reservoirs in animals and birds, but as intermediate stages of existence they can also adapt to humans.
The danger of a tick bite for humans is that these bloodsuckers often carry serious bacterial infections – such as encephalitis, tularemia, borreliosis and others, and these infections and their impact on human health are not yet well understood.
In addition, granulomas and even tissue necrosis may occur at the site of a tick bite, and in sensitized people – provoke severe allergic reactions.
Clinical signs of tick-borne dermatosis and the course of the disease
At the site of a tick bite, an erymatous edematous focus appears, which at first practically does not bother the patient, only causes a slight itch. Due to the lack of clear symptoms, a person may be unaware of the presence of the parasite for a long time, and it often remains on the skin for several days. Then the tick spontaneously disappears or it is removed. Often, attempts to remove the tick are not very successful, and its hypostome (the so-called mouth apparatus) remains in the skin. As a result, a tick granuloma develops at the site of the bite or a foreign body granuloma if the head of the tick remains under the skin.
After removal of the tick, severe itching occurs at the site of the bite, a sensitization reaction develops, the skin may remain inflamed for several months. If in the following days there are tick bites again (as happens with tourists, athletes, lovers of gardening and gardening, often walking in the forest), then inflamed eczematous spots or diffuse papular-nodular foci become more serious and become chronic.
Diagnosis of tick-borne dermatosis is not difficult, since either a tick can be clearly seen embedded under the skin, or a small hole in the center of the granuloma at the site of a tick bite.
Tick-borne dermatosis treatment and prevention measures
Tick bite granuloma is treated with creams containing antibiotics and corticosteroids, as well as herbal preparations containing 5-10% charcoal fly in the ointment. As a symptomatic treatment, the use of antihistamines to relieve itching is recommended.
If a patient is sensitized to a tick and has disseminated secondary nodular lesions or inflammation, systemic corticosteroids are given. In such patients, after a tick bite, serious complications can develop, up to fatal anaphylactic reactions. Such cases require urgent medical attention.
Prevention of tick bites and the development of tick-borne dermatoses can be the use of repellents (permethrin, feverfew), as well as the correct removal of parasites that have stuck to the skin.
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