Lyme Disease Post-Bite Tips

---

DEFINITION    IDENTIFYING TICKS    PREVENTION TIPS    POST-BITE TIPS    SUPPORT AND LINKS

Proper Tick Removal Researchers have found that Lyme disease germs reside primarily in the tick's gut rather than in its mouth. Therefore, getting all the mouthparts out of the skin is not as important as keeping the tick from injecting more germs from its gut. After a tick has been feeding for a few hours, it regurgitates germs from its gut into the bite site. Thus, it can take several hours for a tick to pass Lyme disease to a person. Germs for some other tick-borne illnesses do reside in the tick's mouth and may be transmitted sooner. The old methods of burning the tick with a hot match, or covering it with alcohol, lighter fluid, or other chemicals, can cause the tick to regurgitate more Lyme bacteria into the bite site. Using fingers or blunt tweezers to remove it can squeeze the tick's stomach and also inject more bacteria into a person. A research study found that all these methods make a person more likely to contract Lyme disease. The tick should be removed with fine point tweezers or a special tick remover tool. Remove ticks promptly. To remove a tick, grasp it as close to the mouth (the point of attachment) as possible with the tweezers or tick remover, and pull it straight out slowly, to allow the tick time to release itself. It does not need to be turned or twisted out. If mouthparts are left in the skin, they can be removed with a sterile needle or by a doctor. If they are not removed, they will work their way out of the body in a few days, but may cause itching. After removing a tick, disinfect the bite site and tool, and wash your hands with antibacterial soap.

SAVE THE TICK! Ticks should be saved for further testing, if necessary. Place it in a sealed plastic bag with a few blades of grass. Keep it in the refrigerator, alive or dead, so it can be tested for disease. Mark your calendar with the date of the bite, location and watch for any unusual symptoms such as fever, body aches, stiff neck, mood changes, between 3-32 days following the bite. Lyme blood tests are not useful immediately, since it takes 3 or more weeks for a person to develop antibodies and thus be tested for the disease. Current lyme tests are only 50% accurate; thus, diagnosis should be based on clinical signs, symptoms, and exposure to ticks. No test can prove a person does not have Lyme disease.

Ticks can be identified by sending it to your local extension office, or Iowa State University, Dept. of Entomology, Ames, IA, 50010. Ticks can be tested for Lyme disease without cost if it was attached and engorged, but must be sent by your doctor to the Iowa Hygienic Lab in Iowa City. They do not test for other tick borne diseases. These other labs will test ticks, for a fee:

After removing a tick, CALL THE DOCTOR. Some physicians prescribe antibiotics for tick bites; others wait to see if disease symptoms develop. ILADS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society) doctors recommend a minimum of 6 -8 weeks of antibiotic treatment for early symptoms of Lyme disease, because the disease can become chronic and debilitating with shorter treatment courses. (See www.ILADS.org.)