What happens if a child accidentally eats a live tick with a berry?

What happens if you accidentally eat a tick?

Content

The child ate a tick

The tick population increases in early spring. They wait for their victims in tall grass and at the bottom of trees until the onset of the first cold weather. The probability of meeting one of these during a walk is high even within the city (in a park, square, by the river, on a lawn, etc.).

Unlike a well-fed large tick, a hungry tick is small in size (about 3 mm). Therefore, in theory, an insect could be accidentally swallowed. In this article we will talk about what happens if you eat a tick.

Mechanism of action

Before you go with friends and relatives to nature - to the forest, to a pond, to a park, you need to prepare a first aid kit with the necessary amount of medicine just in case, into which you should throw a couple of small syringes.

Removing an insect using a syringe is quite simple and easy. This process may bring some discomfort, but for the sake of your health you can endure it.

If it so happened that someone in the company was bitten by a tick in nature and it was decided to provide him with first aid on the spot, then it is recommended to adhere to the following instructions:

You need to take a syringe and cut off its tip as evenly as possible (this can be done in advance, at home). Before using alcohol or soap, it is advisable to disinfect your hands and the knife or scissors that will be used to cut the syringe.
Now you need to press the cut area to the place on the skin where the tick was attached. You will get a vacuum. To increase effectiveness, you can apply a little cream around the tick.
Now you need to pull the syringe plunger towards you. This will make the insect want to come out on its own.
This method also helps to remove, along with the tick, all the toxic substances that the parasite managed to spray out.
You can remove a tick in the same way using a bottle or jar, after warming the neck with a match or lighter.
After this method, a hematoma will remain on the skin, but this is not scary, but without a tick.

This method is suitable for removing an insect that has just attached itself (within 1-2 days) or for a larva that will be weaker than an adult.

Under what circumstances can this happen?

Ticks are not picky about their habitat. This is especially noticeable in the spring-autumn period. Anything with tall plants, heaps of grass, foliage, etc. is suitable for them. Since they feed exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals and birds, ticks are able to wait for their owner for weeks, or even months. They identify a new victim by smell and do not lose the opportunity to feast on blood.

meet a tick anywhere:

on the river;
In the woods;
in the park;
in the garden;
in the car.

Therefore, on such walks we recommend wearing the most closed clothing possible.

For the first couple of minutes, the parasite remains on the clothing without moving, then it begins to follow in search of open areas of the body. Once a tick has gained access to the body, it will look for a place with thin skin (armpits, groin, arms, back, neck). The tick does not come close to the face, so the likelihood of ingestion is extremely low.

This can only happen by chance. For example, when a pest chose a place to live in a bush with berries. This way you can accidentally eat an insect and not notice it.

In the next article we will tell you: How to get rid of house dust mites in an apartment?

Where and when can you find a tick?

Like all arachnids, ticks do not have wings. These parasites do not have eyes, so they navigate in space using their sense of smell. They can sense a potential object 10 m away. Ticks are found in areas where there is no loud noise and a lot of bushes.
Wet, shaded areas of forests, undergrowth with thick grass, and meadows on the shores of lakes are favorite habitats for ticks. As a rule, parasites jump onto a person from below. Important! Keep in mind that ticks cannot be found on trees; they jump from below, not above.

With the arrival of warm days, females need to ensure the maturation of eggs, and for this they need animal or human blood. Particular activity of ticks is observed from April to July in the morning and evening. During the day, when it is very hot, the parasites hide from the sun and do not pose a strong danger. Ticks are not very mobile. Throughout its entire life, each tick moves no more than 10-15 m. In anticipation of prey, they sit on branches no more than 1.5 m from the ground. When a person or animal walks by, the tick smells it and, straightening its legs, catching the direction with this organ of smell, jumps towards it.

It is worth knowing that ticks do not distinguish between the type of forest; it is important for them to find a comfortable habitat. Tick larvae live on small rodents that live in forests until they become adults. But where there are many anthills, you may not find a single parasite. Ants happily eat ticks even at the larval stage.

What happens if you eat an encephalitis tick?

Every year, with the onset of warm weather, the media broadcast information about the threat of infection with the encephalitis virus from a tick bite.

The pathogen enters the human body through an insect bite or when the tick is carelessly removed from the skin. Then parts of the parasite’s body remain under the person’s skin, and its blood will definitely enter the person’s blood. The virus eventually enters the bloodstream, affecting the central nervous system and blood vessels.

In particularly difficult cases, paralysis, dementia, and even death can occur. The incubation period of the disease is 2 weeks. The difficulty lies in the fact that it cannot be determined before the first signs. In addition, at first encephalitis is confused with a common cold.

The main fear of people who have swallowed a tick is infection with encephalitis. If you eat a live and whole parasite, nothing will happen. The insect will quickly enter the stomach and be digested there. If you chew a tick before swallowing, the possibility of becoming infected increases.

How to remove a tick from a person?

Having noticed a tick sucking blood, you should use additional devices, for example:

tweezers;
syringe;
thread;
a needle;
ring with sunflower oil;
special devices for removing ticks.

If the tick is not yet deeply seated, you can try to remove it with your fingers, but this method is extremely unreliable. With any method, you must definitely get the head of the insect.

All of the tools listed above, except those specifically designed for removing ticks, require skill. Using tweezers, a needle, thread and a syringe you can remove only a recently attached tick. The insect is pulled out in a circular motion, the grip should be closer to the head (not in the middle of the body). If you have an insulin syringe, cut off the tip with the nose, then press the syringe tightly to the skin and pull out the tick with a piston. All these methods are very unreliable, including the thread with which the loop is made. In the latter case, the risk of insect rupture is extremely high.

What to do if you accidentally ate a tick

First you need to calm down. If you swallow a whole and living insect, then do not panic. You can simply forget about this trouble and live a calm life. But for prevention, you can rinse your stomach. This way you will get 100% confidence, reassure both yourself and your loved ones. To do this, you need to drink a large amount of water and induce vomiting.

The likelihood of contracting encephalitis due to tick ingestion is extremely low. This is rather possible in theory, but in practice such cases have not been registered in world medicine.

Security measures

After the insect has been removed, a number of actions must be performed:

The bite site must be disinfected with a handy antiseptic - cologne, various alcohol tinctures or pure alcohol, 5% iodine.
Immediately after removing the parasite, thoroughly clean your hands with any disinfectant or soap solution.
If possible, be sure to consult a doctor, especially if a child has been injured.
After 10 days, take a blood test, then after 2 weeks and after a month.

What not to do:

Removal should not be done with bare hands; they should be protected with gloves, a rag, or a napkin.
You should not pull or pull the parasite out of the skin, as this may cause it to tear or burst, which increases the risk of infection with dangerous viruses.
Use oil - this can cause the tick to suffocate and remain in the skin, then it will be difficult to remove it from there, and also, when frightened, the insect can inject toxic substances with saliva, which will lead to the development of diseases.
There is no need to immediately run to the clinic to donate blood for a test.

Important: if a tiny dark spot is noticed, this means that the head or proboscis has come off. The area must be treated with an alcohol solution of iodine, then the head or proboscis should come out along with purulent exudate. You can do it differently: treat the area with the same iodine or alcohol, calcinate a well-thin needle, disinfect it with an antiseptic and pull out the head (proboscis), just like removing a splinter.

Correct ways to remove ticks

There are special devices to make it easier to remove the bloodsucker from the skin. These are all kinds of grippers, tweezers and tweezers.

How to remove an X-shaped tick from a person

Regular tweezers will do. The bloodsucker needs to be grabbed by the neck as close to the body as possible and pulled up. There are special grips and tweezers that are sold in pharmacies. They are the easiest way to get a “vampire”.

If you don’t have tweezers, you can try to pull out the tick using ordinary tape. Stick it to the place where the parasite got in and pull it back. The bloodsucker should stick to the tape and pull out.

You can try to pull out the bloodsucker using regular thread. Place a loop around the parasite's neck and slowly pull it perpendicularly upward. Make sure that the loop does not tighten on the belly.

The tick's head remains under the skin: what to do

The most pathogenic microbes are located in the belly of the flare, so if you pulled it out and the head remained in the skin, it’s okay. It can be pulled out like an ordinary splinter.

Disinfect the needle and pick at the bite site to remove the head of the parasite.
Even if this is not done, nothing terrible will happen; perhaps in a few days his head will “come out” on its own.

How not to pull out a tick

Among the people, there are quite risky ways to remove a bloodsucker. It is believed that something unpleasant should be poured on it:

petrol;
nail polish;

nail polish remover;
any fat.

This strategy is considered incorrect by experts. In this case, the parasite will not fall off anywhere, but it will inject its victim with dangerous toxins, and at the same time infectious agents.

First aid for tick penetration under the skin

If the bloodsucker has crawled under the skin, you need to pull it out or go to the emergency room, where they will provide professional assistance. If skin inflammation occurs, you should be tested for demodicosis.

Should you see a doctor immediately after a tick bite?

You should consult a doctor after a parasite bite in the following cases:

you can’t remove it yourself, it has completely crawled under the skin;
the animal was not completely removed;
live in an area unfavorable according to the statistics of infections transmitted by these parasites;
The temperature rose after being bitten by a parasite.

Treatment of the wound

After removing the tick, the parasite bite site should be treated. For this purpose, use alcohol or other disinfectant available on hand. Iodine and hydrogen peroxide will do.

When going for a walk in a forested area, do not forget about the danger of tick attacks. It is recommended to always have with you basic tools that may come in handy. Everything you need is available freely in pharmacies.

Removing ticks from dogs

On a note!
This method is not suitable for removing ticks from pets. This is due to the fact that the pet’s fur will not allow the necessary pressure to be created.

Veterinary clinics sell special devices in the form of a curved hook with a slot for removing ticks from animals. Or you can use tweezers. Animals' wounds should also be treated.

What is the danger of ticks penetrating the skin?

A large number of parasites live on human skin. Scabies mites and demodexes live under the skin. The latter are opportunistic. They begin to actively multiply when human immunity decreases.

What is Demodicosis

Demodex (Demodex spp.) is a parasitic mite that causes a disease called demodicosis. It is found not only in humans, but also in animals, for example, demodex in dogs.

Human skin is most often colonized by Demodex folliculorum.

This parasite feeds on the sebaceous glands of the skin and hair follicles, feeding on lipids and epidermal cells. It is estimated that 60% of adults and 90% of older people are carriers.

Demodicosis in humans.

Causes, symptoms, treatment and possible complications of the disease

Routes of infection	Infection with Demodex occurs through contact with the host's skin or objects that he has used, for example, clothing, towels, bed linen, and cosmetics. Demodex also moves along with the dust. You can become infected with it, for example, in a hairdresser or beauty salon, as well as in a pharmacy when using testers. However, humans cannot become infected from animals, since demodex is specific to this species.
Symptoms and pathologies	Simply finding demodex on the skin is not the same as demodicosis. Only pathological reproduction of this parasite causes symptoms of the disease. A favorable condition for this is a decrease in the body's immunity.
Risk area	This is why demodex is more common among allergy sufferers, diabetics, elderly people, and people living in constant stress. The eyes, facial skin, or scalp may be affected, depending on the areas affected by Demodex. Because symptoms vary in severity, they are sometimes confused with other diseases.
Use of antibiotics	Because of bacterial superinfections with staphylococci and streptococci favored by Demodex, treatment often involves the administration of antibiotics. However, the parasite itself is resistant to them, so it cannot be treated with oral antibiotics.
Local therapy	Thus, local treatment is carried out, for example, with ivermectin preparations. It is an antiparasitic and anti-inflammatory agent. Creams and ointments with metronidazole or azelaic acid are also used.
Features of treatment	Treatment time lasts from several weeks to several months, since the drugs act only on adult forms of demodex. The only way out is to be patient and constantly follow the prescribed treatment. In this case, it is necessary to strictly observe the hygiene regime and properly care for the skin.

Preventive measures against ticks

Before a walk in the forest or park, you must wear clothes and shoes that will fully protect your body, covering your ankles, ankles, neck, and wrists.
You also need a hat or hood.
You can use special repellent sprays or creams.

Previous
TicksHow a tick breathes during a bite, or how little “vampires” manage not to suffocate during a meal

Ticks Should you be afraid if a tick crawls across your body: what can be dangerous walking for “bloodsuckers”