• Square-facebook
  • X-twitter
Time to read
2 minutes
Read so far

Chiggers and fleas and ticks, Oh my! – Part III

Mon, 07/30/2018 - 2:39 pm

This series has had a personal relevance to me. After my beginning research on this topic, my wife found a tick on my back. I had just read about the proper way to remove a tick so we performed the exercise according to the book and had good results. After all these years of living in Texas and traipsing around from shinnery to seashore, that is my first tick.

There are four common types of ticks that are found in Texas. In order of their frequency they are: the Brown dog tick, the American dog tick, the Lone Star tick (also known as the northeastern water tick or turkey tick) and the Deer tick. 

All four types of ticks are hard-shelled and, interestingly, the shell covers more of the body in the male than the female. 

Ticks go through four stages of development in their lifetimes. They go from egg to six-legged larvae to eight-legged nymph to adult. Ticks attach themselves to warm blooded hosts and engorge themselves at each stage. 

Depending on the availability of food sources, it can take up to three years for a tick to mature. Fortunately, most ticks die before reaching maturity. Ticks cannot fly or jump so they must find their hosts by hanging onto blades of grass or leaves and grabbing the host with its free legs and quickly transferring from the blade or leaf to the host. 

Once on the host, it may take 10 minutes to two hours for the tick to get ready to feed. When it finds an acceptable spot it grabs the skin, cuts into the surface and inserts its feeding tube. Ticks can also secrete small amounts of saliva with anesthetic properties so that the host does not feel that the tick has attached itself. 

If the host has a blood borne infection, the tick ingests the pathogens while feeding and then transfers them to the next host by the saliva injection. The tick will suck blood slowly for a several days. Once full, the tick will drop off and molt into the next phase of its life cycle. In its next life stage it can transmit an acquired disease to the next host during its next feeding.

There are six tick-borne diseases in Texas. These all have similar symptoms of chills and fever, aches and pains (flu-like symptoms) and rashes. 

The most common illnesses are Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF). The impact of Lyme disease can be very serious and be debilitating to the point that the affected person may not be able to work or carry out many routine activities. RMSF can cause serious damage to internal organs such as heart and kidneys. Your health care professional should be made aware of any tick bites you have received especially any resulting in a fever or rash. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the proper method for removal of a tick includes removal as soon as possible and the following steps:

• Using tweezers and preferably rubber or latex gloves, grab the tick as close to the skin as you can get.

• Apply steady pressure and pull it out. Do not twist or jerk because the head or mouth may be left behind. (This could cause an infection not related to Lyme or RMSF).

• Do not crush the tick since the fluids may be infectious.

• Dispose of the tick immediately by flushing it down the toilet, enclosing it in a zip-lock bag, or putting it in alcohol or wrapping it tightly in tape (be careful not to crush the insect). 

• After removing the tick, thoroughly disinfect the area and tweezers and wash your hands with soap and water. 

Be aware of the appearance of the tick bite area and seek medical attention if it becomes red or feels hot. 

Avoid folk remedies such as painting the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly or using heat to make the tick detach. 

Examine pets frequently for ticks, especially if they have been in areas where ticks can hide. Veterinary assistance may be required for treatment and prevention.