Ticks

[TheViking]

I have one od them tomtom shows. Found them better for larger ticks. A pair of SAK tweezers is better for smaller ones.

 

[hootchi]

Size is dirctly proportional to the amount of time it has been feeding on you!! ):

 

[spamel]

I find that a light coloured pair of trousers show up any of the offending little swines, and they can simply be brushed off. I use normal tweezers to get them out with a slight rotary pull. I have been informed by the medics at numerous military establishments that this is the best way of removing them. In the last seven years in Germany, I have been bitten by one tick, and I found him soon after getting back from a hike in the local woods in Hameln. But using light coloured trousers, I saw that I picked up loads of ticks on evey trip, but simply brushed them off every ten minutes or so.

 

[sandbender]

I contracted Lymes desease while walking in Hungary and Romania, it wasn't much fun!

 

[Toddy]

Only ever had two ticks stuck on me, (fingers crossed smilie), but when fieldwalking sheep fields in the Lake District my colleagues got plenty of the blighters (me? I wore gaiters!)...no F.A. Kit...no vaseline, but we *did* have Tequilla. Soak a bit of cotton wool in the stuff and hold it over the thing's backside. It drops off in seconds and there were no infections or obvious signs of irritation afterwards either. Is alcohol a recommended treatment?....it's certainly sterile
Don't think it'd stop Lyme's though.

Toddy

 

[leon-1]

I seem to recall reading that alcohol can make them vomit which once again can increase risk of infection.

 

[Gail]

Hey, I thought I could contribute greatly to this thread as I indeed have Lyme disease as we speak !

I got the proper diagnosis last week (after a lot of messing around). I self-diagnosed from websites and asked the doc for a blood test. I am currently taking doxycycline for a 3 week duration for acute lyme disease.

It all started back in June last year when I went on a bushcraft course for a week in Cumbria. Didn't notice it at the time, but when I got home what appeared to be a mossie bit was on my left hip surrounded by a saucer sized ring which was blueish edged with red.

I can only think in retrospect what symptoms I may have had - as there were none noticeable at the time, and indeed I feel fine now.

The typical migrans rash makes the occasional appearence and is now down my left leg just above the knee.

Just be wary of anything with a large rash around it !!

 

[spamel]

Gail, I hope you get sorted out.

There was a guy here who went on exercise and didn't check for ticks, which are rife on the local training area by the way. He had to go to the medical centre to get 36 ticks removed from his body, and suffered from Lyme's disease. Now I'm not entirely sure of the possible outcomes of getting Lyme's disease, but it left him a bit slow, if you get me. He is still a serving soldier, but it is quite frightening to think that a single tick could have caused his problem, and it so easily could have been avoided if he had followed a basic hygiene regime and sorted his admin out.

Spamel

 

[zackerty]

I am glad jeremyh mentioned garlic... I rub it on my legs when tramping.

BTW Do not wear YELLOW clothing, use yellow tents, etc, as insects, including ticks, are like little magnets to the colour.

I have been bitten over 100 times by ticks in my life, and from a teenager, I always used vaseline, or silicone grease... I have never been even slightly sick from tick bite fever etc.

 

[Moonraker]

I am glad jeremyh mentioned garlic... I rub it on my legs when tramping.

BTW Do not wear YELLOW clothing, use yellow tents, etc, as insects, including ticks, are like little magnets to the colour.

I have been bitten over 100 times by ticks in my life, and from a teenager, I always used vaseline, or silicone grease... I have never been even slightly sick from tick bite fever etc.

Looking at the various threads on Ticks there are many ideas on how to deal ticks and it seems a minefield subject. Can I suggest checking out the official line from the NHS Direct (National Health Service UK) site on this:

NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopaedia - Lyme disease

Download a PDF file version of this entry here:

Encyclopaedia Topic: Lyme disease - PDF

On prevention and what to do if you get a tick:

Prevention
The best method of preventing Lyme disease is to be aware of the risks when visiting areas where catching the disease is possible and by taking sensible precautions:

Ticks should be removed from the skin as soon as they are noticed. They are unlikely to spread the disease until they begin to swell up with blood. Hold the tick with tweezers near the point of attachment and pull it away slowly.
Dress appropriately in areas where deer live - wear long sleeves, long trousers (even tucked into your socks), check yourself regularly for tick bites and wear light-coloured clothes to help you see the tick as soon as it lands on you· Be aware of the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease and go to see your doctor as soon as you can if you think you might have been infected
People at high risk of getting Lyme disease (eg forestry and conservation workers in tick infested areas) can be vaccinated. The vaccination lasts for about 2 years and is 70 percent effective.

As has also been mentioned, it is important to disinfect the actual bite after removal especially if the head is left in the bite, in order to reduce the chance of infection.

 

[Wayland]

Only ever got a tick once, I was well wrapped up as recommended but the blighter got me when I went on a "shovel recce"

Must have been bears doing it in the woods too

 

[starfury]

Raw garlic is excellent for keeping ticks away.
Chop up a couple of decent sized cloves and swig them down with some water.
It might make you smell a bit but its better than lyme disease.

I think the Swedish and Norwegian army use this same method for keeping ticks of.

Andy...

 

[Moonraker]

A recommended method of tick removal in the wild if you do not have a tick removal tool (which it is recommended to carry) from the 'Wilderness Medical Society'

Wilderness Medical Society - The “Knot Method” of Tick Removal

Clearly described method with decent photo (click to enlarge)

You download the page as a PDF file (118 kb size) of the original article here

Just to clarify, this is a simple open overhand knot:

 

[Keith_Beef]

Is there a blood test?

http://www.igenex.com/lymeset1.htm


Lyme Antibody Serology

Lyme IgG/IgM Antibody Serology

The Lyme IgG/IgM Antibody Serology test is an enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA) which indicates the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies to B. burgdorferi. The IgG antibody often persists long after symptoms have disappeared. The presence of antibody indicates exposure, not necessarily active disease. A positive or equivocal result must be confirmed by both IgG and IgM Western Blots.

Lyme IgM Antibody Serology

The Lyme IgM Antibody assay is another serologic test in ELISA format, and it detects the presence of IgM antibodies after exposure to an infected tick. IgM antibodies apppear early in response to infection, and this test may be positive two to six weeks following exposure. Because of the test's lack of specificity, a positive or equivocal result must be confirmed by an IgM Western Blot.

Lyme Western Blot

IgG Western Blot

The IgG Western Blot is a sandwich-type immunoassay performed in a manner that allows the antibody response to be visualized. It is a qualitative test and is generally more sensitive and specific than the ELISA.

IgM Western Blot

This test is a very sensitive indicator of exposure to B. burgdorferi. It may be positive as early as one week after a tick bite, and will usually remain positive for six to eight weeks after initial exposure. A positive IgM result with clinical history can indicate early Lyme disease, or even persistent infection in otherwise serologically negative individuals.

Antigen Detection

Lyme Dot Blot Assay (LDA)*

The LDA is an immunoassay for the direct detection of Lyme antigen in urine that reacts specifically to rabbit anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies. The rabbit antibodies are specifically targeted to the following B. burgdorferi antigens: 23kDA–25kDA (Osp C), 31 kDA (Osp A), 34 kDA (Osp B), 39kDA and/or 93kDA. If the Borrelia specific antigen(s) are present in the urine sample, a dot with a bluish-purple precipitate forms on the membrane. The limit of detection in urine spiked with sonicated B. burgdorferi is 12.5 ng/ml of urine.

Reverse Western Blot (RWB) for Antigen*

The RWB is an immunoassay for direct detection and identification of Lyme antigen in urine which specifically react with rabbit anti-B. burgdorferi antibodies. The rabbit antibodies are specifically targeted to the following B. burgdorferi antigens: 18kDA, 23kDA–25kDA (Osp C), 28kDa, 30kDA, 31kDA (Osp A), 34kDA (Osp B), 39kDA, 45kDA, 58kDA, 66kDA and 93kDA. If any of the Borrelia specific antigen(s) are present in the urine sample, bluish-purple bands are visualized on a membrane.

Keith.

 

[Rebel]

Raw garlic is excellent for keeping ticks away.
Chop up a couple of decent sized cloves and swig them down with some water.
It might make you smell a bit but its better than lyme disease.

I think the Swedish and Norwegian army use this same method for keeping ticks of.

Andy...

It might make you less tasty (helps against mosquitoes too) but it doesn't stop them. And I'm a garlic fan (I eat it in just about everything both cooked and raw).

You need to check yourself everynight when you're out in the countryside. I even used to get bitten in my garden when I lived out in the sticks.

If you've got a hairy body it can be difficult to see them until they've fed on you and grown in size. If you're hairy and in a high risk area using a hair trimmer on your legs could be helpful

To avoid disease you need to get the tick off as soon as possible (before the end of the day).

This Website is helpful http://www.lyme.org/ticks/tick.html.

The only safe method to remove ticks (and I've tried just about every method on myself, kids and animals) is the tweezer method described on the website.

 

[Neil1]

I was out today for three hours,

 

[Neil1]

Don't know what happened there, anyway I picked up 9 of the the litlte blighters, one of the normal kind, and eight of the new micro version.
This is a regular occurence locally, it seems to have proliferated in the last three years. You can watch them on your clothing within an hour of being in the boonies, in this neck of the woods.
Neil

 

[Moonraker]

I posted an article on Tick Removal with the most up to date advice on removing ticks and Lyme disease. They also carry other diseases.

You can read some interesting statistics and detail on the spread of Lyme disease here:

UK-Health Protection Agency - Epidemiology of Lyme disease

There is a FAQ on ticks at the same site here:

HPA - Frequently asked questions on Lyme disease

and more details here:

Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis)

If you have never seen a tick here is a photo and you can see how small it is on a finger nail:

and a tick actually attached and feeding (magnified detail). Note how their body enlarges as it feeds on the blood. What you can't see in this photo is the dagger like mouth piece which has serrations to really get a good grip and why a good removal technique is necessary:

Finally details of frequency ofthe disease in the UK:

How common is Lyme disease?
An average of just over 300 laboratory-confirmed cases are reported annually to the Health Protection Agency (table). Most confirmed cases are acquired in the United Kingdom. Areas where infection is aquired include Exmoor, the New Forest, the South Downs, parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire, Thetford Forest, the Lake District, the Yorkshire moors and the Scottish Highlands. About 20% of confirmed cases are reported to have been acquired abroad - in the United States, France, Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, and Eastern Europe.
Estimates suggest that between 1000 and 2000 cases of Lyme disease occur in the United Kingdom each year.

What are ticks?
They are tiny spider-like creatures commonly found in woodland and heathland areas. Unfed ticks may only be the size of a poppy seed. They usually feed on blood from mammals and birds but will occasionally bite humans. Peak times of the year for tick bites are late spring and early summer and in the autumn. Ticks usually take between three and five days to complete their blood meals. The risk of transmitting infection from an infected tick is low in the first 24 hours that it is attached, so early removal of the tick greatly lowers the risk of transmitting infection.

Finally, there is some new information on the distribution of ticks in the British Isles here:

NBN gateway - 'Information (metadata) for the dataset "Ticks (Ixodoidea) distribution for the British Isles"'

Do check out the 'Tick Removal' link above as it has a lot of good advice and images to help.

 

[Celt_Ginger]

Is treating your cloths with something like permathrin (or however It's spelled) any good at helping to keep the little blighters at bay? i'm sure that it's not 100% effective, but to coin a phrase "every little helps"

 

[JeremyH]

We have to live with ticks here on Islay - even in the winter and as I spend most of my days in the field/forest/moorland/beach on this deer island ticks seem to affect many folks. Luckily I do not seem to suffer from them. The two reasons I believe: one - keep covered - Long socks, high boots, gaiters, long trousers, overtrousers. On top woollen undershirts, wool over shirts and jackets. (Good to be in a cooler climate) second - a thing I learnt from woodsmen in Finland when I used to work there, is to eat raw Garlic weekly - one or two cloves (not bulbs!)
I also give our working dogs garlic and although the shorter haired Border does get ticks when out stalking/beating/picking up they are much fewer that other colleagues who do not give their dogs garlic.
This is all unscientific but it works for me.....

Slainte

jeremyH