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 Did you know
… ?
Ticks do not fall from trees, as is often
maintained!
 They are usually brushed
off grasses, bushes and at the edges of woods up to knee height. A tick
can remain on clothing for several hours before reaching its preferred sites
on the body.
Light, fastened clothing makes it easier to see picked up ticks.
Ticks are also active in gardens and parks, i.e. in residential areas.
You’ve been bitten by a tick, even though
you have not spent time in the countryside!
This is basically possible
if you come into contact with pets (ticks remain on the animal’s coat
for some time).
Why was the bite not noticed?
When they bite ticks
secrete inflammation-inhibiting substances which have an analgesic effect.
This is why the bite is not noticed.
Does the danger of infection with TBE exist
only in early summer?
TBE (early summer meningoencephalitis)
does not occur only in early summer; possibility of transmission exists
from spring until late autumn.
TBE viruses are located in the salivary glands, which is why these pathogens
can be transmitted at the very beginning of the act of sucking (release
of salivary secretion).
How quickly does infection take place?
Borreliae are usually
found in the middle intestines, so according to the most recent findings
firmly attached ticks should be removed as soon as possible, as the risk
of infection is only slight in the first 12 hours after the tick bite. When
the tick sucks it absorbs fairly large quantities of blood fluid. The tick
maximises absorption of substances that can be used for nutrition by putting
back even larger quantities of fluid (mainly superfluous water + ions) into
the host. In this way the tick retains its internal osmotic balance. It
is obvious that this makes it possible for the bacteria present in the intestines
to find their way into the host, and indeed all the more the longer the
act of sucking lasts.
A study on gerbils supports this theory, as irrespective of the removal
technique a rising rate of infection was observed with increasing duration
of the act of sucking.
What is Lyme disease?
Borreliosis is also
called Lyme disease, because this infectious disease was first observed
in the USA in the town of Lyme.
Can you become ill simultaneously with borreliosis
and TBE?
Basically, yes, if
you are in areas where TBE is widespread.
How often does the tick have to absorb blood?
The tick (hard-backed
tick) has to absorb at least three blood meals after the egg stage, in each
case one as a larva, a nymph and an adult tick. After each blood meal the
tick leaves the host, digests the blood meal and develops and moults into
the next stage of development (larva to nymph, nymph to adult tick).
Fully attached adult females leave the host, lay up to 3000 eggs and then
die.
The life cycle of hard-backed ticks very often goes through long periods
without taking in food; the European "common wood tick" (Ixodes
ricinus), for instance, whose overall development lasts 2-6 years, spends
up to 99 % of its life without food. All attached and unattached stages
of development are basically capable of hibernating.
Do you have
any questions?
Simply ask – we are happy to help!
Follow the link and
send us your question using the form. You will receive an answer shortly.
Ask
a question |
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Dr. Schick GmbH
Waldstraße 15
D-74889 Sinsheim
Phone +49(0)7261-913910
Phone +49(0)7261-913911
Fax +49(0)7261-913912
www.tick-tweezers.com
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