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Post by dfishkind on Oct 22, 2020 14:05:18 GMT -8
Is this a deer tick? I found it on my left-side abdomen a couple hours after a hike in Charlemont, Massachusetts. It was not engorged, and I don't believe it was on my body for more than a few hours.  Am I correct in thinking this is a deer tick? Do I need to be concerned about Lyme Disease? ![]()   |
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Post by Paul K on Oct 22, 2020 14:58:14 GMT -8
Looks like a tick but if it didn’t bite there is nothing to be worry.
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Post by exoticimports on Oct 22, 2020 15:23:02 GMT -8
Hanging on or have bitten in? If you may have been bitten go to the doctor. Don’t screw with Lyme disease.
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Post by dfishkind on Oct 22, 2020 15:57:14 GMT -8
Hanging on or have bitten in? If you may have been bitten go to the doctor. Don’t screw with Lyme disease. There is a bite mark, but I pulled it off before it was even slightly engorged. Going to keep an eye out for bullseye. Is it a deer tick for sure, or possible other species? |
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Post by rayrard on Oct 22, 2020 17:34:02 GMT -8
I pull ticks off me all the time that just bit as my body reacts immediately with itching. The tick usually has to be attached for hours, embed, and begin to feed to get Lyme. If you got Lyme instantly from a tick bite, no one would go outside in Connecticut ever.
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Post by bandrow on Oct 24, 2020 8:26:44 GMT -8
Greetings, It looks like a species of Ixodes and could be the deer tick - probably best to assume it is. I contracted Lyme disease in 2019 after doing some yard work at my home. Pretty ironic considering the amount of time I spend in the field and never got it that way. I found the tick on the back of my thigh less than 24 hours after I was in the yard, and it had embedded itself, but hadn't engorged. I had always heard that if you removed them within 48 hours, you'd be fine - wrong! The tick was very tiny, and I removed it with a pair of forceps, but I suspect I may have squeezed it enough to force the gut contents into my skin, basically inoculating myself. I drew a circle around the bite site with a black marker - it was in the middle of the back of my thigh, in a spot hard to see. Nothing happened for almost 10 days, the marker had worn off and then - boom - an oval rash appeared. I had started to become complacent about it after the length of time with no rash, so I can see how folks gradually forget about being bit by the time a rash appears, and as a result, miss it. I headed into the doctor and she wasn't completely sure it was Lyme, as the rash was oblong, not a bulls-eye, despite there being a clearer area in the middle. She finally deferred to my opinion - being a professional entomologist swayed her, I think - and she put me on antibiotics. The rash got worse over the next 3 days, but then suddenly disappeared. In the spirit of Halloween, here are links to the rash... the day of the doc visit and about three days later... Lyme rash 6/6/2019 to 6/9/2019Apparently I will now always test positive for Lyme - if I think I've been infected again, I have to have an additional test to check for an active infection. So Lyme in 2019, Covid-19 in 2020 - if I suddenly disappear from here in 2021, I probably got hit my a meteor... Like everyone says - stay well!! Bandrow |
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Post by wolf on Oct 25, 2020 4:18:37 GMT -8
Transmission of the disease is rare if u remove the tick within 24h of an acutal bite. The larva and nymphs are also more infective than the adults but attach poorly to human skin and falls off easily. And yes, too much fiddleing and sqeezing on the parasite itself could aggrevate it to regurgitate contents into the bitewound and transmit disease easier. When removing, make sure to get a firm grip as close to your skin as possible and remove it in one move. There has been alot of discussion if u should twist or just pull straight out. Imo just pulling it straight out is the best way, i like to think it means that u cause less aggrevation of the tick than if u start twisting around.
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Post by bandrow on Oct 25, 2020 6:58:18 GMT -8
Hi Wolf, Your points are all correct, but I learned that things never go right 100% of the time. I found the tick in under 24 hours - about 20 hours to be exact, and it was firmly attached. I used pointed forceps, grasped it as close to the skin as possible, and pulled it straight off. It was well-attached by that time, and a tiny piece of skin came along with the tick. I suspect that its very small size allowed more of its head to get squeezed than would be preferred, but tough to avoid that with something so small. No twisting was involved!  And DON'T cover them with nail polish, or try to heat a needle and touch their rear end to kill them. I still occasionally see this advice from people and it's a sure way to get them to puke up their guts and infect you!! Cheers! Bandrow |
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Post by wolf on Oct 26, 2020 2:41:58 GMT -8
Hi Wolf, Your points are all correct, but I learned that ... Just bad luck! :S |
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Post by bandrow on Oct 26, 2020 17:24:46 GMT -8
Hi Wolf,
Yep! I seem to be following the "if it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all" life plan lately...
Cheers!
Bandrow
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