Most tick bites in the US are from various species of Ixodidae, which attach and feed for several days if not removed. Disease transmission is the main concern and becomes more likely if ticks are attached for a longer duration. (See also Lyme Disease, Overview of Rickettsial and Related Infections, and Babesiosis.)
Image courtesy of James Gathany via the Public Health Image Library of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Tick bites most often occur in spring and summer and are painless. The vast majority are uncomplicated and do not transmit disease. However, they often cause a red papule at the bite site and may induce hypersensitivity or granulomatous foreign body reactions. The bites of Ornithodoros coriaceus ticks (pajaroello) cause local vesiculation, pustulation with rupture, ulceration, and eschar, with varying degrees of local swelling and pain. Similar reactions have resulted from bites of other ticks.
Diagnosis of Tick Bites
Diagnosis is by clinical evaluation and identification of the attached tick.
Deer ticks
Treatment of Tick Bites
Tick removal with blunt, curved forceps
Tick removal should occur as soon as possible to reduce the cutaneous immune response and the likelihood of disease transmission. If the patient presents with the tick still attached, the best method of extracting the tick and all of its mouth parts from the skin is by using a blunt forceps with medium-sized, curved tips. The forceps should be placed parallel to the skin to grasp the tick’s mouth parts firmly as close to the skin as possible. Care should be taken to avoid puncturing the patient’s skin and the tick’s body. The forceps should be pulled slowly and steadily, directly away from the skin without twisting. Curved-tip forceps are best because the outer curve can be laid against the skin while the handle remains far enough from the skin to grasp easily.
Tick mouth parts that remain in the skin and are readily visible should be removed carefully. However, if the presence of mouth parts is questionable, attempts at surgical removal may cause more tissue trauma than would occur if the parts are left in the skin; leaving mouth parts in the skin does not affect disease transmission and, at most, prolongs irritation. Other methods of tick removal, such as burning it with a match (which can damage the patient’s tissues) or covering it with petroleum jelly (which is ineffective), are not recommended.
After tick removal, an antiseptic should be applied. If local swelling and discoloration are present, an oral antihistamine may be helpful. Although rarely practical, the tick may be saved for laboratory analysis to check for etiologic agents of tick-borne disease in the geographic area where the patient acquired the tick.
Pajaroello tick lesions should be cleaned, soaked in 1:20 Burow’s solution, and debrided when necessary. Corticosteroids are helpful in severe cases. Infections are common during the ulcer stage but rarely require more than local antiseptic measures.
Lyme disease prophylaxis
≥ 8 years) should be considered when all of the following criteria are met:
The tick is an adult or nymphal Ixodes scapularis.
The tick is estimated to have been attached for ≥ 36 hours based on degree of engorgement or certainty about time of exposure.
Prophylaxis can be started within 72 hours after the tick was removed.
The local rate of infection of ticks with Borrelia burgdorferi is ≥ 20%.
However, the Borrelia
