Widely distributed worldwide, ticks occur at different intensities in various geographical regions. They are mainly found in Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe. In Poland, they are lmainly ocated in the northeastern provinces and within the Opole and Lublin voivodeships. To date, as many as 20 different species of ticks have been identified.
Diseases Transmitted by Ticks
Following a bite from an infected tick, a person may develop tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease, or somewhat rarer diseases such as babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, or relapsing or nodular fever.
Tick-borne encephalitis (also known as early or juvenile encephalitis and meningoecephalitis) is caused by a virus that enters the human body. Its natural reservoirs are mainly wild small rodents, hares, moles, squirrels, deer, elk, birds (especially burrowing species), and domestic animals such as cows, goats, sheep, and dogs. Ticks usually parasitize on their skin. However, they also tend to inhabit shrubs and thickets at the edges of meadows or forests (mainly beech forests), areas overgrown with brambles, ferns, or hazel along forest roads and trails, or on bank vegetation near rivers. They perch on trees, hide in grass or bushes, on the underside of leaves, and their activity depends on weather conditions. Their activity increases with rising ambient temperatures, from March to November. Humid summers and mild winters favor their development.
The virus can be isolated from nearly all organs of an infected tick, which remains its carrier for life without appearing ill. Outside the tick's body, the virus rapidly loses infectiousness due to desiccation, pasteurization, or chemical/enzyme treatment. However, under normal conditions, it can survive for many months—e.g., in milk and butter. It is transmitted by various tick species, among which the meadow tick (also known as the castor bean tick) is the most widespread.
Infection occurs through a bite of an infected tick. It can also occur via food—by drinking raw milk from goats, sheep, or cows that are carriers of the virus—and through inhalation—by breathing in dust contaminated with tick feces (e.g., hay).
Most often, the tick attaches to the skin of arms and legs and then moves unnoticed into the folds of large joints. Since tick saliva has anesthetic properties, bites often go unnoticed.
How to Remove a Tick?
To remove a tick from the skin surface, grasp it with tweezers as close to the skin as possible and pull straight out without twisting. Be careful not to crush it, as this can cause its contents (potentially infectious microorganisms) to be squeezed into the body. Do not smear the tick with oily substances beforehand, as this causes the tick to suffocate and inject its infected saliva into the bite site!
Most people who get bitten by an infected tick experience little or no symptoms. However, the infection can be very severe—causing fever up to 41°C, headaches, muscle and joint pains, seizures, consciousness disturbances, speech and vision problems, urinary and stool retention, or neurological and psychiatric changes. Recovery can be prolonged, and reduced physical capacity and depression may persist for a long time.
Prevention is Key
Effective prevention involves proper protection measures: avoiding exposure, wearing appropriate clothing (tight trousers, gaiters, socks) in areas suspected of tick presence, early and careful removal of ticks from the skin, boiling or pasteurizing milk from goats, cows, and sheep.
The best way to prevent infection is the administration of an appropriate vaccine, recommended after the first year of life. The optimal time for vaccination is winter, but it can be administered any time of the year. To achieve full immunity, three doses of the vaccine are given. Boosting immunity through active immunization is advised for people working in areas with high disease prevalence, those employed in forestry, military personnel stationed in forests, farmers, youth during field training, and tourists participating in camps, colonies, etc. Children are especially at risk due to their natural activity and tendency to explore in shrubs.
After a tick bite, to prevent infection, prophylactic administration of immunoglobulin within 48–96 hours is recommended.
Lyme Disease (Lyme borreliosis)
Ticks can also transmit Lyme disease caused by spirochetes. The pathogen’s main reservoirs are rodents (mice, voles), game animals (deer, moose, elk), and birds (especially burrowing species).
Lyme disease occurs in nearly all regions of the Northern Hemisphere. In the UK, cases of infection in deer have been reported in London parks, as well as in the southeastern parts of the country and some regions of Scotland.
The course of Lyme disease (borreliosis) largely depends on the pathogenic strain of the spirochete, which explains the wide variety of symptoms associated with this disease.
Lyme disease usually progresses in three stages. The onset may be asymptomatic or present with a "migratory" skin rash. This is the most characteristic symptom of Lyme disease, typically appearing 1-3 weeks after a tick bite. If untreated, it fades within a few weeks. The skin lesion may be accompanied by general symptoms such as fever, headache, or muscle pains. After noticing these signs, it is important to inform the doctor that you have been bitten by a tick, so they can recommend appropriate treatment.
Second stage, occurring several months after infection, involves predominantly neurological, musculoskeletal, and circulatory symptoms. The most common features include persistent weakness and fatigue. In all forms of this stage, there are migratory muscular and joint pains, along with decreased strength.
Third stage appears months or years after infection and can manifest as skin destruction—leading to skin atrophy; joint involvement—resulting in stiffness and impaired joint function; or neuroinflammatory changes, causing irreversible damage to peripheral nerves, and changes in the eye, such as inflammation of the optic nerve.
The presence of a single Borrelia genotype in the USA allowed for the development of a vaccine. Unfortunately, in other parts of the world, Borrelia occurs in several strains, and attempts to create an effective vaccine here have failed. The best method of protection against the disease is proper prophylaxis.
In outdoor or summer conditions, the use of long-lasting insecticidal or repellent agents against ticks is effective. After a tick bite, antibiotic prophylaxis is sometimes recommended in particular cases.
It is important to remember that not every tick carries the virus of encephalitis, Lyme disease, or other pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, not every tick bite necessarily results in the discussed health conditions.
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