In vitro analysis after a tick bite. If you are bitten by a tick: we answer all pressing questions. Interpretation of the IgG antibody test
Dear patients!
A tick bite is a danger of various viral and bacterial pathogens of tick-borne infections entering the body.
Right now you can contact your nearest office of the Center for Molecular Diagnostics (CMD) and conduct a comprehensive study of a tick attached to or removed from clothing for the presence of pathogens of four main infections: tick-borne viral encephalitis, ixodid tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease), granulocytic anaplasmosis and monocytic human ehrlichiosis.
Rules for preparing for the study:
- The attached tick must be removed as quickly as possible. To do this, it is recommended to carefully tie a thread between the tick and the skin and smoothly “unscrew” the tick from the skin. Or use special devices (“screwdriver pliers” or “lasso pliers handle”). It is not recommended to smear the tick with oil - contrary to the well-known myth, it will not suffocate for a long time, but it will still have time to transmit a lot of pathogens. It is also not recommended to remove the tick with tweezers, since by squeezing the tick’s body, we promote an even greater influx of its saliva and thereby increase the number of microorganisms introduced into the wound; When using tweezers, you can accidentally crush a tick, then its contents will also get into the wound, and this increases the risk of infection.
- It is advisable to preserve the tick for research in as undamaged a condition as possible. If the tick is alive, place it in a hermetically sealed container with several blades of grass or a piece of cotton wool slightly moistened with water; if it is dead, also place it in a container (sealed bag), then put it in a thermos with ice. Deliver the sample to the laboratory as soon as possible for testing.
Interpretation of tick research results:
If you receive a “Not Detected” result, you should monitor your health for 30 days and if any clinical manifestations occur (fever, headache, weakness, malaise, etc.), seek advice from an infectious disease specialist.
If the result is “DETECTED”:
- When TBEV (virus) RNA is detected in a tick tick-borne encephalitis) emergency seroprophylaxis is carried out in specialized health care facilities (no later than 96 hours from the moment of tick ingestion). The patient is administered human immunoglobulin against tick-borne encephalitis. For dynamic monitoring of the possible development of the disease, it is recommended to examine paired blood sera for the presence of specific antibodies of the IgM and IgG classes no earlier than 2 weeks from the moment of tick bite with an interval of 7-10 days. In the CMD laboratory, antibodies are tested using ELISA: anti-TBE IgM (042702) and anti-TBE IgG (042701) in the blood.
- If the genetic material of bacterial pathogens is detected in the test tick: B.burgdorferi sl (causative agent of ixodid tick-borne borreliosis), A.phagocytophillum (causative agent of human granulocytic anaplasmosis), E.chaffeensis/E.muris (causative agent of human monocytic ehrlichiosis) no later than the fifth day after ingestion ticks are treated with antibiotic prophylaxis, which is prescribed by an infectious disease doctor. For dynamic monitoring of the possible development of the disease, it is recommended to examine paired blood sera for the presence of specific antibodies of the IgM and IgG classes no earlier than 2-4 weeks from the moment of tick bite with an interval of 20-30 days. In the CMD laboratory, antibodies are tested by ELISA: anti-Borrelia IgM (044101) and anti-Borrelia IgG (044102) in the blood; using the immunochip method: Serological diagnosis of borreliosis (blood) (300049), Serological diagnosis of borreliosis (blood and CSF) (300051).
There is such an expression as “stuck in like a tick.” They do not bite, but dig into the skin. There are many tips on how to get rid of ticks. But this must be done skillfully, since inept attempts to remove the tick result in the tick’s head remaining in the subcutaneous layer. Therefore, when you find a tick embedded in your skin, go to the nearest medical center.
Tick in one picture
Diseases
But a tick bite would not be terrible if ticks were not carriers of diseases. List of diseases that a tiny animal can give to a person (ticks are not insects):
- human monocytic ehrlichiosis;
- human granulocytic anaplasmosis;
- viral encephalitis;
- borreliosis;
- tularemia;
- Crimean hemorrhagic fever;
- relapsing tick-borne typhus;
- Tsutsugamushi fever;
- vesicular rickettsiosis;
- North Asian tick-borne rickettsiosis;
- Astrakhan spotted fever.
After contact with infectious ticks, people become infected with viral encephalitis and borreliosis.
Viral encephalitis
It does not develop immediately. The incubation period after the virus enters the human body is up to three weeks. Affects the central and peripheral nervous systems.
Symptoms
- temperature (up to 39-40 degrees Celsius);
- convulsions;
- headache;
- vomit;
- Possible loss of consciousness or delirium.
Complications
The likelihood depends on the strength of the patient's immune system. With good immunity, a person will recover without treatment.
Most often, mild paralysis of the arms is observed.
Mortality depends on the type of virus. With the European variety it does not exceed 2 percent, with the Far Eastern variety it reaches 20 percent.
Borreliosis
Another name is Lyme disease. It is bacterial in nature. The incubation period is from a week to four weeks. Can affect the skin, nervous system, and heart.
Symptoms
- elevated temperature;
- redness in the area of the bite.
Complications
Possible in the absence of treatment. These include inflammation of the heart muscle, pericardium, and membranes of the brain. Mortality is rarely recorded.
Blood test after a tick bite
Not every tick is a carrier of encephalitis, borreliosis or other infections. But if you are bitten by a tick, you need to play it safe and donate blood for testing. Even if there are no symptoms of the disease.
However, keep in mind that in the absence of a clinic, donating blood immediately after a bite does not make sense, since the result may be false negative. You must wait at least 10 days.
And if you have symptoms of illness, visiting a medical facility is no longer a precaution, but an obligation.
A blood test to detect infection after a tick bite can be done in several ways.
PCR method PCR
The abbreviation stands for polymerase chain reaction. The most technologically advanced and accurate method. Its essence is the detection of the DNA of the pathogen in human blood or any other biological material.
- PCR allows you to detect the presence of a pathogen at low concentrations in the blood. Consequently, the infection is detected in the early stages of pathology development.
- The PCR method is also good because the analysis does not take much time. Several hours pass from the moment the biomaterial is submitted to the doctor’s conclusion.
The disadvantage of the method is that special equipment and trained personnel are required to carry out PCR. They are not available in every locality.
Linked immunosorbent assay
Abbreviated as ELISA. It is based on the detection of antibodies to the causative agent in the blood.
- During infection, class M immunoglobulins are the first to appear in the blood, representing the body’s primary immune response to foreign antigens.
- Later, class G immunoglobulins are recorded and remain long time in the blood to counteract the reappearance of a foreign antigen.
The method is reliable.
Blood for ELISA is taken from a vein, which is significant disadvantage in cases with small children.
Western blotting
Essentially similar to ELISA, but considered more accurate, especially when diagnosing borreliosis. If an enzyme immunoassay determines the total amount of immunoglobulins (specific and nonspecific), then Western blotting determines antibodies to specific antigens of the pathogen.
Treatment
- Treatment of borreliosis in the absence of complications is successfully carried out with antibiotics at home.
- Viral encephalitis is treated in a hospital. A wide range of antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anticonvulsant drugs are used.
How to protect yourself from a tick bite Prevention
- Vaccination is effective against viral encephalitis. There is no vaccine against borreliosis.
- When hiking in the forest, areas with tall grass Clothes must cover the body.
- It is advisable to use tick protection. They are applied to skin and clothing. Repellents repel them, acaricidal drugs kill them. There are also drugs with combined effects.
- It is necessary to carefully examine your body and clothing for ticks during a hike and afterward.
Following simple rules will help protect yourself and your children from infections transmitted through ticks.
Additional information on the topic of the article can be obtained from the video:
More:
What is better and more effective in laboratory diagnostics – PCR or ELISA analysis? What is it and the norms of indicators in the PCR test, what diseases does it help diagnose?
Alas, the statistics are inexorable - up to half a million citizens of our country are attacked by ticks every year. Literally at the beginning of the tick activity season, the number of those bitten begins to grow exponentially...
In fact, our specialists are regularly asked the same questions, which every year, as if on schedule, they have to answer over and over again. This page will contain all the information you are interested in on the issue: “ If you are bitten by a tick, what to do and where to go". Format: Question and answer.
If you are bitten by a tick: answers to important questions
— I was bitten by a tick, What should I do now?
Answer: To begin with, don’t panic. Tick - no poisonous snake and in 30 minutes no one will kill you. It is very important to gather yourself and realize that further actions must obey certain rules. A) We remove the tick () or go to the hospital, where they will help you remove it; B) Find the nearest medical facility (use a search engine to find it in your city); we take the tick to the laboratory for analysis (again we use a search engine or get a certificate from the nearest hospital); C) Regardless of the result, follow the doctor’s directions.
— How can I tell if the tick that bit me is encephalitis?
Answer: looking at him - no way. We need a laboratory. You can find it by calling the city emergency department, where they will definitely tell you where to go. The laboratory will examine the tick that you previously removed and tell you what to do next.
Important! Never rely on chance. Every year there are only more encephalitis ticks.
— The tick just managed to attach itself, do I still need to go to the hospital?
Answer: Unfortunately, yes. The infection is transmitted through the tick's saliva, which it injects under the skin to begin feeding. Even if he just bit you, this is still enough to get the necessary dose of pathogens. The most dangerous diseases transmitted by a bite: tick-borne encephalitis, tick-borne borreliosis, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever and others. .
— I didn't go to the doctor and after a couple of weeks I felt unwell, what should I do?
Answer: It’s not a fact that these are direct consequences of a tick bite, but you really need to rush to the hospital.
— I removed the tick, and the bite site turned red. Is this an infection?
Answer: No. Most likely normal allergic reaction for a bite. Each person's body reacts differently to external intrusions. Most often, redness and the so-called appear around the tick bite. However, this does not mean that you should not go to the doctor and do not need to submit the tick to a laboratory for analysis.
— The redness after the bite went away at first, but then it appeared again and hurts more, what should I do?
Answer: Most likely, the bite is accompanied by the appearance of migratory ring erythema at the site of penetration - this is a viral or, rather, bacterial dermatosis of unknown etiology. Treatment is with broad-spectrum antibiotics, but it is best to see a doctor first.
— I submitted the tick for analysis, what now?
Answer: The deadline will be stated directly at the place where the tick was received. Usually this is no more than two days.
— I was told that the tick was infected🙁 what to do ?
Answer: See a doctor immediately. He will give all the necessary recommendations and prescribe the necessary medications. The most commonly used drugs are yodantipyrine and immunoglobulin.
— We received the results of the analysis: the tick is infected. Should I go get my blood tested?
Answer: You need to donate blood only after about 10 days, because... you are not sick yet. The virus needs time to strengthen and break down your body’s defenses. You may not even get sick. Check with your doctor for more information.
— I foolishly threw out a tick, what should I do?
Answer: No earlier than 10 days later, you need to test your blood for tick-borne encephalitis using the PCR method. After two weeks, test for antibodies (IgM) to the tick-borne encephalitis virus. For accurate information, contact medical institutions in your city.
— I was bitten by a tick, but I was vaccinated against encephalitis, what should I do?
Answer: Nothing, you already have immunity. Get rid of the tick on your body and treat the bite.
“I was given immunoglobulin for tick-borne encephalitis, but two weeks later I was bitten by a tick again at the dacha. Is it all new again?
Answer: No. The measures taken are usually very effective for the first couple of months.
— I took yodantipyrine as a prophylactic regimen and I was bitten by a tick, what should I do now?
Answer: Go to the regimen for taking iodantipyrine “after a tick has been sucked in.”
— There is no way to get to the doctor after a tick bite and have it tested; I live in a remote village. I seem to feel good. What should I do?
Answer: Use iodantipyrine and immunoglobulin according to the instructions in the instructions for use. If you notice a deterioration in your health, immediately consult a doctor at the regional department.
— I go far from civilization during the tick season. What should you do to stay safe?
Answer: You just need vaccination. If you don’t have time, then you should take care of the timely purchase of special repellents and iodantipirin.
Good afternoon, our dear readers. The time of spring and summer is coming. Increasingly in Lately We meet or hear such a disease as “tick-borne encephalitis”. People are afraid to go into the forest. Some people say that ticks can be found in city parks, and so on. Why is a tick bite dangerous?
With the arrival of spring, ticks leave their burrows and sit on blades of grass close to the ground, just waiting for someone to plunge their jaws, hungry for fresh blood, into. In order not to become a victim of this bloodsucker, which can carry diseases dangerous to humans, we are properly equipped for a trip to the forest or countryside.
But also, before talking about what to do if you are bitten by a tick, you need to understand why a tick bite is dangerous in general. As they say, you need to know your enemy by sight. This is the only way to avoid panic and not commit the wrong actions.
Ticks are characterized by seasonality. The first cases of attack are recorded in early spring, when the air temperature rises above 0 0 C, and the latter - in autumn. Peak bites occur from April to July.
Bloodsuckers do not like bright sun and wind, so they lie in wait for their prey in humid, not too shady places, in dense grass and bushes. Most often found in ravines, on the edges of forests, along the edges of paths or in parks.
The most common diseases transmitted through a tick bite.
| Disease | The causative agent of the disease | Tick vector | What does it look like? |
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Virus from the Flavaviridae family | Ixodid ticks: I. ricinus, I. persicatus |
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Spirochete -Borrelia burgdoferi | Ixodid ticks:
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Virus of the Nairovirus genus, Bunyavirus family | Ticks sort ofHyaloma
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Source: policemed.com
- Tick-borne encephalitis- infectious viral disease, transmitted through tick bites, characterized by fever and damage to the central nervous system, often leading to disability and death.
On average, symptoms of the disease appear 7-14 days (5-25 days) after infection. The onset of the disease is acute; more often the patient can indicate not only the day, but also the hour of onset of the disease.
In most cases, the disease ends in complete recovery. With focal forms, a large percentage of the person will remain disabled. The period of incapacity for work is from 2-3 weeks to 2-3 months, depending on the form of the disease.
Ixodid tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease)- This infection transmitted through bites ixodid ticks, characterized by damage to the nervous system, skin, joints, heart, the disease tends to be chronic.
If the tick is removed no later than 5 hours after the bite, the development of borelliosis can be avoided. This is explained by the fact that the causative agent of the disease, Borrelia, is located in the intestines of the tick and begins to be released only when the tick actively begins to feed, and this occurs on average 5 hours after penetration into human skin.
The prognosis for life is favorable. If started late and improperly treated, the disease becomes chronic and can lead to disability. The period of incapacity for work is from 7 to 30 days, depending on the course and form of the disease.
Crimean hemorrhagic fever- severe viral infectious disease, transmitted through tick bites, characterized by fever, intoxication and bleeding. The disease belongs to a number of dangerous infectious diseases.
Late hospitalization and incorrect diagnosis and treatment often lead to death. The mortality rate is 25%. The period of incapacity for work is from 7 to 30 days, depending on the form of the disease.
How does a tick bite occur?
The tick gnaws through the skin using a hypostome ( oral apparatus) dotted along the edges with growths facing backwards. This structure of the organ helps the bloodsucker to remain firmly in the tissues of the host.
With borreliosis, a tick bite looks like focal erythema up to 20–50 cm in diameter. The shape of the inflammation is most often regular, with an outer border of bright red color. After a day, the center of the erythema turns pale and acquires a bluish tint, a crust appears and soon the bite site is scarred. After 10–14 days, no trace remains of the lesion.
Signs of a tick bite.
- there is weakness, a desire to lie down;
- chills and fever occur, possibly an increase in temperature;
- Photophobia appears.
Important! In people of this group, symptoms may be supplemented low blood pressure, increased heart rate, itching, headache and enlargement of nearby lymph nodes.
In rare cases, difficulty breathing and hallucinations may occur.
Temperature after a bite as a symptom of the disease.
Each infection caused by a bloodsucker bite has its own characteristics:
- With tick-borne encephalitis, relapsing fever appears. The first rise in temperature is recorded 2–3 days after the bite. After two days everything returns to normal. In some cases, a repeated increase in temperature is observed on days 9–10.
- Borreliosis is characterized by fever in the middle of the disease, which is accompanied by other symptoms of infection.
- With monocytic ehrlichiosis, the temperature rises 10-14 days after the tick bite and lasts about 3 weeks.
Almost all diseases transmitted by bloodsuckers are accompanied by fever.
Rules of conduct when bitten by a tick.
So, what to do if you are bitten by a tick? First of all, don’t panic, do everything according to the instructions. It is necessary to remove the bloodsucker as soon as possible. This should be done slowly and carefully so as not to damage it or cause infection.
Do not use gasoline, nail polish, or other chemical substances. Vegetable oil or fat will not help either. It is better to use effective and practice-tested methods.
STEP 1— Remove the tick as soon as you find it.
Remove the embedded tick as quickly as possible. If a tick is infected, the likelihood of contracting tick-borne encephalitis depends on the amount of virus that penetrates during the “bite” of the tick, that is, on the time during which the tick was in the attached state.
You should try to remove the tick alive, along with the head, because the tick has salivary glands in its head, which contain viruses, bacteria and other microorganisms.
What to do first if bitten by a tick:
- treat the bite site with an alcohol-containing solution,
- if you have rubber gloves, put them on,
- pull out the tick using one of the following tools:
Method 1 Tick twister:
place the slit (loop) of the device under the tick along its narrow part as close to the skin as possible, then rotate the tick around its axis (like a screw) - when rotating, the proboscis spines twist and after 2-3 turns the tick is removed entirely.
A homemade pliers twister can be made from a bread bag clip (cut the end and bend it) or cut from packaging material, such as a pill bottle.
Method 2 Using thread:
Tie a strong (synthetic) thread around the head of the tick in the form of a loop in a knot as close to the tick's proboscis as close to the skin as possible, make several turns so as not to tear the tick in half with the thread.
By stretching the ends of the thread to the sides using rocking and twisting movements, carefully remove the tick, pulling it slightly. Do not make sudden movements, pull slowly, without jerking and stopping.
Or, after tying the thread, twist both ends of the thread together, holding the twisted thread at an angle of 45 degrees to the bite site, begin to make rotational movements around the tick, slightly pulling the thread toward you:
Method 3 With tweezers:
Grab the tick with tweezers near the proboscis, close to the skin without squeezing the abdomen, and rotate the tick around its axis.
When using tweezers, you must act very carefully, as there is a high risk of squeezing (crushing) the body of the tick and introducing infection into the wound, which will increase the risk of infection.
Method 4 With fingers:
If you don't have any of the above on hand, try removing the tick with your fingers. Wear gloves, finger pads, or wrap your fingers in a bandage.
Wipe the skin with alcohol.
Rotate the tick around its axis alternately in one direction and the other.
After removing the tick, treat the wound with any antiseptic (iodine, brilliant green, betadine, alcohol, chlorhexidine, hydrogen peroxide, cologne, etc.) and wash your hands thoroughly. The wound must be treated with an antiseptic every day; it is not necessary to fix it with a bandage. The wound usually heals within a week.
If the head of the tick comes off during removal - if the head is present, a black dot will be visible - it must be removed. The remaining part in the skin can cause inflammation and suppuration. When the head of the tick is torn off, the infection process can continue, since a significant concentration of tick-borne encephalitis virus may be present in the salivary glands and ducts.
To remove the severed head, it is better to contact the nearest medical facility.
If this is not possible, the remains of the tick can be picked out from the wound with a sterile needle (previously calcined in a fire). After removing it, wash the bite site with soap and water, dry and disinfect with alcohol, brilliant green, iodine or another alcohol-containing solution.
If there is no sterile needle and antiseptics, leave it as is - after suppuration, the head (proboscis) of the tick will be squeezed out along with the pus.
Wear rubber gloves or finger pads. Do not come into contact with the tick.
If you can't remove the tick yourself,
he is in hard to reach place or you are afraid of damaging it, contact the nearest medical institution at your location (emergency room, surgical department of a clinic, infectious diseases hospital, first aid station, medical outpatient clinic).
To find out where the nearest medical facility is located, please call:
- from a landline phone number 03
- c mobile phone by number 112
You must have your passport and compulsory medical insurance policy with you.
According to the compulsory medical insurance policy, any medical institution is required (in accordance with SP 3.1.3310-15):
- remove tick;
- deliver the tick for examination for the presence of dangerous infectious diseases characteristic of the territory where it was collected;
- carry out emergency prevention;
- If a tick is infected, inform the victim about the need to take emergency preventive measures within 72 hours after biting under the supervision of an infectious disease specialist, or, in his absence, a general practitioner.
After removal, the tick must be saved for analysis.
Place the removed mite in a clean container (test tube, vial, jar, etc.), in which you first place absorbent paper (filter paper, paper napkin, etc.) slightly moistened with water - it is important that the body of the insect is in a humid environment.
Storage and delivery of ticks in compliance with these conditions is possible only within 2 days(according to some laboratories – up to 5 days). The sooner you deliver the tick, the more accurate the analysis will be.
For testing for encephalitis and borelliosis, you can bring a live, a dead, or part of a tick, but it is advisable to keep the tick whole and alive, because not all laboratories have equipment for analyzing a dead tick or its parts.
What not to do:
- Do not pick up or crush a tick with your bare hands - the infection can enter the bloodstream through microcracks in the skin.
- Do not remove the tick with your teeth; in this case, infection with infectious agents through the mouth cannot be ruled out.
- Do not pick out ticks with sharp objects.
- The tick should not be squeezed, pulled by the abdomen, or pulled out sharply.
- The tick does not need to be filled or smeared with anything.
- The tick does not need to be cauterized.
- Do not scratch the bite area.
If an unattached tick is found, it is removed and destroyed (thrown into the fire, into a jar with hot water(> 60 degrees Celsius) or oily liquid).
STEP 2.1— Do a tick test within 2 days from the moment of the bite.
Within 2 days (48 hours), take the preserved tick for laboratory testing to determine the presence of tick-borne infections.
Some laboratories accept ticks up to 5 days from the date of the bite, but the most informative study of the tick is on the 1st day (24 hours) from the moment of removal.
For testing for encephalitis and borelliosis, you can bring a living or a dead tick or part of a tick, but it is advisable to keep the tick whole and alive. Some laboratories only take whole ticks for analysis.
Tick analysis is carried out by government and non-government institutions.
Address government agencies(Centers for Hygiene and Epidemiology, Infectious Diseases Hospitals, Laboratories), where the analysis can be carried out, you can find out:
- from a landline phone number 03;
- from a mobile phone by number 112;
- in the Internet.
Attention! The laboratory does not provide the service of removing ticks from the skin, but only diagnoses the extracted ticks. Ticks are removed only in medical institutions(emergency room, hospital, clinic, first aid station, outpatient clinic).
Analysis time: 2 days(1st day – delivery, 2nd day – receipt of test results, sometimes on the same day if you brought the tick in the morning). It is better to order a comprehensive tick test for infections (required for tick-borne encephalitis and tick-borne borreliosis, preferably for other infections).
If laboratory tests do not reveal tick infections, monitor your health for 30 days. If you feel fine, you don’t need to do anything else.
Just because a tick has an infection does not mean you will get sick.
A tick analysis will relieve anxiety in the event of a negative result and allow you to act consciously and rationally in the event of a positive result.
STEP 3.1— The tick is infected: no later than 4 days from the moment of the bite, seek medical help.
If the tick is infected, seek medical help no later than 4 days (96 hours) from the moment of the bite. You can go to the clinic at your place of residence or to a paid clinic to see a general practitioner or infectious disease specialist. The doctor will prescribe treatment appropriate to the pathogen.
The most severe infections caused by a tick bite, which are very severe, have a chronic course and a long rehabilitation period (up to 1 year) and can lead to disability and death:
borreliosis or Lyme disease (bacterial infection),
tick-borne encephalitis (viral infection),
Treatment usually consists of a course of antibiotics and immunomodulators. It is better to start taking them on the first day after a tick bite. Treatment must be prescribed by a doctor.
If a tick is infected with the tick-borne encephalitis virus and no more than 4 days (96 hours) have passed since the bite, as an emergency prophylaxis, the doctor may prescribe seroprophylaxis - a single intramuscular injection of human immunoglobulin against tick-borne encephalitis (this component serum proteins) in a dose of 1 ml = 1 ampoule per 10 kg of body weight.
Immunoglobulin is administered to persons not vaccinated against tick-borne viral encephalitis; those who have received an incomplete course of vaccinations; having defects in the vaccine course; those who do not have documentary evidence of preventive vaccinations, as well as vaccinated persons in case of multiple tick bites.
The effectiveness of immunoglobulin administration is greatly influenced by the speed of seeking medical help after a tick bite, especially for children.
After the administration of immunoglobulin, antiviral drugs of the interferon group and vitamin C are also prescribed to stimulate the immune system.
In cases:
impossibility of administering immunoglobulin,
if it is not possible to conduct a laboratory test of the tick or blood,
if you consulted a doctor when more than 3-4 days have passed since the tick was bitten,
you don’t have money for immunoglobulin,
the doctor may prescribe emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis with the antiviral drug yodantipirin.
Yodantipyrine tablets are taken orally after meals:
- 300 mg (3 tablets) – 3 times a day for the first 2 days;
- 200 mg (2 tablets) – 3 times a day for the next 2 days;
- 100 mg (1 tablet) – 3 times a day for the next 5 days.
A total of 45 tablets for 9 days.
It is not recommended to use immunoglobulin and iodantipyrine together.
Yodantipyrine can also be used as an additional measure if you have been vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis.
Some doctors do not trust Yodantipirin as a drug for the treatment of tick-borne infections.
During the incubation period of tick-borne encephalitis, provide a balanced diet, try to avoid any stressful situations for the body (overheating, hypothermia, severe physical activity etc.).
Contraindications to immunoglobulin and iodantipyrine include pregnancy.
Yodantipyrine is contraindicated in persons with increased function thyroid gland and hypersensitivity to iodine.
Neither immunoglobulin nor iodantipyrine protects against other tick-borne diseases.
Repeated use of immunoglobulin is possible no earlier than 1 month after administration.
Some experts recommend that in regions where there is a high risk of infection with borreliosis, within the first 3 days after the bite (the sooner the better!), start preventing borreliosis with antibiotics, without even waiting for the results of the tick analysis.
IMPORTANT! The decision on the need to administer anti-tick immunoglobulin and prescribe antibiotics and other medications is made by the doctor!
STEP 2 ,2 — If you have not had a tick tested or you suspect an infection, take a blood test.
If after a tick bite:
you did not submit the tick for analysis;
or the results of the analysis revealed that the tick is a carrier of tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis;
or any symptoms appear (fever, headache, weakness, malaise, etc.)
take a blood test for tick-borne encephalitis and tick-borne borreliosis and other tick-borne infections, even if you feel well. Borreliosis (Lyme disease) can also be asymptomatic.
Blood is donated on an empty stomach (at least 4 hours must pass after eating), do not smoke for 30 minutes before donating blood.
You must have a passport, a compulsory medical insurance policy (or voluntary health insurance, if you have one), and tick bite insurance (if you have one).
Deadlines for donating blood for analysis:
Blood for tick-borne infections is tested 10-20 days after the bite:
after 10 days - for borreliosis and encephalitis using the PCR method (the PCR method can determine the presence of tick-borne encephalitis, tick-borne borreliosis, granulocytic anaplasmosis, monocytic ehrlichiosis);
after 2 weeks (14 days) – for IgM antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis virus,
after 3-4 weeks (21-30 days) - for IgM antibodies against the causative agent of borreliosis.
Before taking tests, consult with your doctor or laboratory doctor about when and what tests you need to take.
If the test results are positive, this means that the tick has given you an infection.
You can donate blood for testing free of charge at your local clinic. To do this, you need to contact a therapist or infectious disease specialist.
Or in paid laboratories.
The turnaround time for tests is about 1 week.
If a blood test does not confirm infection, there is no danger, but you need to monitor your well-being.
If a blood test confirms infection, it is necessary to seek treatment from a general practitioner or infectious disease specialist for diagnosis, hospitalization, treatment and medical observation.
After the course of treatment, another blood test is performed; if the result is positive, treatment is continued, and if the result is negative, it is advisable to repeat the blood test after 3-6 months to exclude relapses.
STEP 3.2— If you haven’t given a tick or blood test: see a doctor for 1 month and monitor your well-being.
If for some reason you did not submit a tick or blood test, you must be observed by an infectious disease specialist within 1 month from the moment of the bite.
Also monitor how you feel: whether symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis or other infections appear.
Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis and tick-borne borreliosis usually appear within the 2nd week after the bite. Symptoms may occur earlier or later – 1 month after infection
General symptoms: chills, fever up to 38-40, headache and body aches.
The main distinguishing sign of borreliosis (Lyme disease) is migratory annular erythema. This is a bright red spot at the site of the bite, which gradually enlarges, forming rings. With borreliosis, erytherma may not form, but may occur with symptoms similar to tick-borne encephalitis.
Borreliosis is very well treated in the early stages, but in advanced cases it becomes difficult to treat.
If your health condition worsens, immediately contact a medical facility for examination and possible subsequent treatment.
Prevention of tick bites.
The main and main measure to prevent diseases transmitted by bloodsuckers is vaccination. The event significantly reduces the risk of infection after tick bites. Vaccination is necessary for people living in epidemiologically dangerous areas or people whose work is related to forestry.
Advice. Despite the limited risk group, it is better for everyone to get vaccinated. After all, it is not known where you will be “lucky” to encounter a tick.
Primary vaccination is allowed from an early age. Adults can use domestic and imported drugs, children - only imported ones. You should not buy the vaccine yourself and bring it to the vaccination office. They won't drive her anyway.
The drug requires a lot strict rules storage, compliance with a certain temperature and light regime, which is impossible to do at home. Therefore, there is no point in purchasing an expensive drug and storing it in the refrigerator.
There are two vaccination options:
- Preventive vaccination. Helps protect against tick bites for a year, and after additional vaccination - for at least 3 years. Revaccinations are carried out every three years.
- Emergency vaccination. Allows you to protect yourself from tick bites for a short period of time. For example, such a procedure will be necessary for an urgent trip to regions with high tick-borne activity. While staying in epidemiologically dangerous areas, it is recommended to take iodantipyrine.
The vaccine is administered only after a detailed interview, visual inspection and temperature measurement. Persons with inflammatory diseases are not vaccinated until complete recovery.
How to protect yourself from a tick bite?
When going to an unfavorable area, you should choose clothes in light colors:
- a shirt or jacket with cuffs and a tight-fitting collar, trousers tucked into boots;
- anti-encephalitis suit;
- a thick hood with ties that protects the ears and neck from ticks;
- It is advisable to treat clothes with insecticidal agents.
To repel ticks, special insecticidal products based on DEET are produced, but repellents are not effective enough and require application every 2 hours. They can be processed open areas bodies and clothes.
Acaricides are more effective. The drugs are used for contact destruction of ticks. They can only be used on outerwear worn over underwear.
Attention! Acaricides for application to the skin are often found on sale. However, they should be used very carefully. A severe allergic reaction and poisoning is possible.
Insurance against tick-borne encephalitis.
Recently, insurance for expenses associated with possible encephalitis after an “encounter” with a tick has become widespread. This measure is often used as an addition to vaccination or as an independent measure.
Insurance will help pay for expensive treatment for tick-borne encephalitis and other infections carried by bloodsuckers.
Attention! The article is for reference only. Competent diagnosis and treatment of diseases is possible only under the supervision of a specialist.
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Based on materials from: beetlestop.ru, helpcase.ru.
Tick bite - detailed instructions what to do. updated: April 4, 2018 by: Subbotin Pavel
The first peak of tick activity begins in April and continues until mid-June. Visit doctors annually different profiles Several hundred patients are treated for bites. Usually, 10-14 days after the incident, experts recommend taking tests to a laboratory.
Why get tested?
Ixodid ticks spread at least two socially significant pathologies. These are the well-known tick-borne encephalitis and Lyme disease (borreliosis). Diseases are by no means harmless, as they might seem at first glance. In some cases, infection of the body with Borrelia causes very severe long-term consequences. Signs of damage to the heart, joints, and nervous system develop. Only with a thorough investigation can they be linked to a history of Lyme disease. This is why it is recommended to take a blood test after a tick bite.
With late treatment, the percentage of transition to a chronic course can reach 50%. Timely laboratory testing and appropriate therapy ensure a favorable outcome of these and other serious bacterial diseases transmitted by ticks.
What tests should I take?
Basically, when a tick bites, a blood test for tick-borne infections is carried out using serological methods:
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Determines the presence of specific antibodies to the virus in the body. There are two classes of antibodies: IgG and IgM. They are specific antiviral immunoglobulin proteins that are produced by the immune system in response to infection by the virus. These proteins indicate a current or past infectious process, and also indicate the success of vaccination.
A week after the first symptoms, class G immunoglobulins are recorded. In the blood, they reach their maximum 1.5-2.5 months from the moment of the bite and persist throughout life. This ensures lasting immunity.
Detection of IgG class antibodies is possible 10 days after a tick bite. Class M immunoglobulins are diagnosed at the first symptoms of the disease. 3.4-4.5 weeks after infection their value will be very high, but within a few months it will decrease.
Enzyme immunoassay is very accurate and allows you to determine pathology on early, but in order to exclude a false result, a Western blot is sometimes used.
- Western blot.
Confirmatory final analysis for borreliosis and encephalitis in the list of immunological studies. The test is necessary after detection of positive IgG antibodies. The material, as in ELISA, is venous blood.
- Immunofluorescence analysis.
The most accessible and cheap method for wide range of use medical institutions, making it possible to detect antibodies to known antigens. Blood serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and intra-articular fluid are examined. Specific antibodies are registered as fluorescein-labeled complexes, which contain an antigen, a specific antibody and serum against human globulins.
When pathogens are present in a material, they glow like fireflies when viewed under a fluorescent microscope. The test is inferior to ELISA in terms of sensitivity and objectivity of results, but wins in specificity.
- PCR.
A sensitive method of polymerase chain reaction, which indicates the presence of foreign DNA or RNA molecules in biomaterial: ticks, blood, skin biopath, urine. For additional diagnostics, cerebrospinal fluid and joint fluid are also used.
PCR makes it possible to determine the pathogen to its genotype and identify cases of secondary infection with borreliosis. The results will be more reliable when using several PCR systems.
Among all the tests that need to be taken after a tick bite, PCR analysis to detect tick-borne encephalitis is inappropriate to use, since in the IgM-positive phase it will give a negative result in many cases. The combination of the first two tests is quite sufficient for the serological study of tick-borne infections.
When to donate blood after a tick bite?
If you are bitten by a tick, you need to take blood tests for PCR testing no earlier than 10 days later. For antibodies (lgM) to the tick-borne encephalitis virus two weeks after the bite, for antibodies (lgM) to Borrelia - after three weeks.
To determine hidden infections after a tick bite, it is recommended to be tested twice. The first examination depends on how many days have passed since the bite, and the second is carried out a month after the first test. The first and second analyzes use the same method. The second analysis is done only if the previous one was negative.
Due to the variety of clinical signs of tick-borne diseases, a wide range of laboratory tests are used. The diagnostic value depends on the characteristics of the analysis itself, on the pathological stage and on pre-treatment with antibiotics. The doctor decides what tests to take if bitten by a tick. He also decides how long after to conduct a repeat study if necessary.
