Ticks
- Never a Friendly Sight
By R. Karl
I remember my first
encounter with a tick. I was about 9 years old and on one of the
many family vacations to Bagley Minnesota. Undressing and getting
ready for bed one night, I noticed a small brown "bug" slowly making its
way up my leg. I picked the unwelcome intruder
from my leg and set it on the night stand, observing its plodding
attempt at movement. Being a young boy, I attempted to smash it by
pounding it with my tiny fist; it simply kept crawling. I tried to
squeeze it to a pulp between my thumb and forefinger... Again it
defied my
attempts to
kill it. Taking the small, brown insect to my father for analysis
(he was a storehouse of knowledge about such things), I was informed --
rather nonchalantly -- that the critter was in fact a tick. Upon
hearing this, my mother screamed and immediately insisted upon searching
every square inch of both me and my sister to insure there were
no more ticks around, claiming that: "Ticks carry all sorts of bad germs
and if they bite you, you can get very sick... maybe even die!"
(She was obviously a bit more concerned than my father, who apparently
knew that ticks were to be expected up north and did not find them to be
so intimidating). "Tick checks" have since become almost a nightly
ritual ever since on every trip I make to the north.
Actually ectoparasites (meaning
external with the emphasis on parasite), ticks obtain a
blood meal from a host, the host being a reptile, bird or mammal (of
which we are obviously one). All ticks are bloodsucking parasites and
the blood is an absolutely necessary requirement for both survival and
reproduction of the species. Tick is simply the common name for
this pest that is actually part of the arachnid class (spiders are
arachnids); the nasty and very
large and diverse group also includes the well-known house dust mites.
My mom was pretty right on when she proclaimed that ticks carry germs;
they don't really cause the disease, but they do convey/transmit
it from one host to another! And therein lies the major part of
the problem. Ticks must bite you to get the blood they
need. It's not so much the bite itself but what is in the tick's
bodily fluids that does the damage.
Since I am directing most of my
articles towards those of you that head north to Wisconsin and
Minnesota, I'll concentrate my efforts on the ticks that you may
encounter in those states. Minnesota has more than a dozen, but
only three are likely to be encountered: the American Dog Tick (also
called the Wood Tick), the Blacklegged Tick (formerly Deer Tick) and the
Brown Dog Tick. From what I have read, Wisconsin apparently has
only the Wood Tick and the Deer tick. Since dogs are the only
hosts for the Brown Dog Tick, we probably need be concerned only by the
other two varieties -- unless of course you own a dog, in which case you
would obviously be concerned if your dog spends time outdoors and in a
wooded area. There are however, some important things to note
about both the Wood Tick and the Blacklegged (Deer) Tick.
Both kinds mentioned here are
hard-bodied ticks, meaning that they have an exterior that is
fingernail-like in nature. In general, the males are a slightly
different color and a bit smaller than the females, although the the
females can become much bigger (engorged) after a large blood meal.
In the case of Deer Ticks, they are roughly the size of a poppy seed or
flake of ground pepper, while the Wood Ticks are typically much larger
(2 mm to perhaps as much as 6 mm in length). During their
life-cycle and development from egg to mature adult, ticks pass through
several stages, including a larval form that has only three pairs of
legs. This is followed by a nymph form with four pairs of legs,
just like the adult. In order to feed, ticks bite through the skin
and then insert the narrow, head-like front part of the body (with the
mouth-parts) into the wound, which they anchor firmly into the skin by
means of barbs on their jaws. Because of this, ticks can be quite
difficult to remove; It is not a good idea to forcibly pull
a feeding tick off the skin, since this often results in the mouthparts
being torn away and left embedded in the skin. If this happens,
the embedded parts left in the wound are likely to become infected and
cause further complications. (More on removal later)
Both the Wood Tick and the
Blacklegged (Deer) Tick require at least two years to complete
their life cycles. They are generally most active from late spring
to early fall -- the times when humans are vacationing in areas that
have woods, tall grass, and shrubby vegetation. Here the ticks
spend a good deal of time just waiting for an unsuspecting host to pass
by. Like mosquitoes, ticks are quite sensitive to carbon dioxide
as well as motion. When the vegetation is disturbed, the tick lets
go of the plant and attaches itself to the passerby so that it can hitch
a ride and enjoy a free meal!
After the tick has finished feeding
it will drop off, but the damage may have already been done.
Several diseases can be transmitted to humans and domestic animals
through tick bites, tick bodily fluids or tick excrement. Wood
Ticks can be a carriers of several infections of humans including
relapsing fever, tularemia, some forms of encephalitis, Texas cattle
fever, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Fortunately, these diseases are
uncommon in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Lyme disease on the other hand, is a
different matter. First discovered and reported near Old Lyme,
Connecticut in 1975, the disease is caused by a spirochete (a type of
bacteria) called Borrelia burgdorferi and carried by the
Blacklegged Tick. The tick is most prevalent in east-central
Minnesota and west and southwest Wisconsin. Although it takes a
deer tick 24-48 hours of feeding before they can transmit Lyme disease,
the results of a bite can be very serious. After being bitten by
this type of tick, The first sign to occur is usually a bull's-eye
shaped rash around the area bitten. The rash expands to form a
large bright red ring with a clear center which often is hot to the
touch. Other symptoms at the onset may include flu-like symptoms like
fatigue, chills, a low-grade fever, headache, muscle pain, sore throat
and nausea or vomiting. Several days to several months later, symptoms
resembling arthritis can develop; serious heart problems may also occur.
If you suspect that you may have been bitten, see a doctor as soon as
possible. Although diagnosis of Lyme disease within the first week
or two is sometimes difficult, the sooner one can begin treatment, the
better.
One very important fact is worth
noting here: Minnesota and Wisconsin are not the only states where the
Blacklegged Tick and Lyme disease are found. At least 45 states
have reported cases of the disease -- in 1996 alone, 17,00 cases were
reported and the problem appears to be growing.
If a tick is found to be attached to
your skin, what is the best way to remove it? Opinions seem to
differ a bit on the answer to this question. Nail polish remover
or burning matches aren't effective ways at all. Some websites
will tell you to put things like Vaseline or light oil on the tick,
claiming that it will cause the tick to suffocate and drop off, while
other sites claim that this does absolutely no good. My guess is
that perhaps it wouldn't hurt to at least try it, not waiting long for
the "remedy" to take effect. But the best advice is to make
certain to have a small tweezers available. Remember that prompt
removal of ticks decreases the chances of getting Lyme disease.
Grab the little guy as close as possible to the skin where it is
attached and slowly but gently pull the tick straight out,
making certain that the head portion comes with the rest of the tick and
also making certain that the tick is not crushed in the process; the
bodily fluids may contain the bacteria that causes the disease and you
don't want to get that stuff in the bite! Save the tick in a small
jar with alcohol for identification through local or state health
department offices. Make a note of dates, times, places, etc.
Wood ticks, by the way, have not been shown to be carriers of
Lyme disease!
So what can you do to prevent being
bitten by this tiny, disease carrying mite? There are a number of
things:
