Deer Tick Bite

Deer ticks, also called black legged ticks, are sesame seed sized insects that swell up when engorged. Deer tick's tendency to feed on the white-tailed deer has given it its name. Oft mistaken for brown ticks due to their semblance, these ticks differ from other types of ticks in their mouthparts. The mouthparts of deer ticks are longer than that of their kindred. Moreover, adults feature a dark spot over the mouth, due to the presence of a shield. These ticks have an orangish-brown tinge which changes to a brownish-red or rust hue after feeding. As far as size is concerned, deer ticks are smaller than dog ticks. Deer ticks also pick large mammals, like, livestock, domestic animals and humans as hosts. Deer tick bites are known to be rostrums for the spread of various diseases.

Deer Tick Bites and Disease Transmission
First isolated in the 1920s at Massachusetts, these ticks have been found in regions of the Northeast, Midwest, Southeast, Mexico and Ontario, Canada. These parasites begin their lives as eggs, laid by the female, on leaves of plants. The eggs advance into the larval stage and the tiny tick larvae begin looking for hosts to suck blood from. Usually tick larvae cling to mice and pacify their hunger and thirst by sucking mice blood. It is during this time of voracious feeding that deer ticks contract several diseases.

Deer ticks do not leap from the leaves onto the host's body, instead, when hosts brush against the leaves of plants, these ticks adhere themselves to the host's fur or clothing. Human beings are regarded as accidental hosts of deer ticks. Several viruses and bacteria are transmitted during the first 48 hours following a deer tick's bite. The tick, after adhering itself to the host, will gorge on the host's blood and swells up to half the size of an American dog tick. These tiny bloodsuckers do not cause a painful bite, which leads to late detection. In fact some people may even be unaware of the fact that he or she has encountered a deer tick bite.

Early detection enables one to hinder the transfer of dangerous diseases like human anaplasmosis (disease infecting white blood cells and causing gene expression alteration), deer tick lyme disease (bacterial illness) and babesiosis (malaria like parasitic disease). Deer tick lyme disease transmitted by deer ticks, is today being disputed about how threatening it is in Texas. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27,444 cases of deer tick lyme disease affected people were reported in 2007, in the US.

Read more on:

• Early Symptoms of Lyme Disease
• Lyme Disease: Cures for Lyme Disease

Deer Tick Bite Symptoms
As deer tick bites are painless, their early detection is cumbersome. However, once the tick has finished with its blood sucking ritual, it will drop off, leaving the skin reddish, itchy and burning. Signs of any illness transmitted by the deer ticks will be visible only after several days or weeks. This is why doctors oft miss detecting a tick related illness. Depending on the pathogen transmitted via the deer tick bite, symptoms will vary from flu like symptoms to fever to deer tick bite rash. Shortness of breadth, palpitations, swelling in various joints, enlarged lymph nodes and vomiting are also some of the other symptoms exhibited.

Deer Tick Removal and Treatment
People who are fond of spending time outdoors are no strangers to deer tick bites. The months of October and November are the peak season for deer ticks and their bite susceptibility. To remove a deer tick from the skin, do not use fingers, instead use tweezers. The head of the tick will most likely be embedded in the skin, with the tiny mouthparts piercing away into the skin. Using the tweezers, one should grasp the head as close to the skin point as possible, and without squeezing the body, one must remove the entire tick. The tick should be removed intact without leaving the mouthparts stuck in the skin. Squeezing the tick can spearhead entry of bacteria from the tick into the body, which is why it should be avoided.

Deer ticks stuck in the hair become more difficult to remove. First, the hair should be cleared away, as they can get caught in the tweezers. Then, they should be removed in the above mentioned manner. Once the tick has been carefully pulled out, one should preserve the tick that caused the bite in a bottle filled with alcohol. If the deer tick bite area reveals blood, it should be washed and dabbed with tea tree oil. Tea tree oil, a natural antibacterial speeds up the healing process. Preservation of the tick responsible for the bite is essential for further laboratory tests to check if the tick carried any pathogens. This will assist in early detection of tick transmitted disease. After deer tick removal, one should immediately consult a doctor. In case the laboratory test results are positive, the doctor will prescribe certain antibiotic courses, which will help counter the disease. Read more on getting rid of ticks.

Deer ticks are vectors of various diseases to humans and other animals. To avoid deer tick bites, one should wear light-colored clothes, so as to easily identify the adhering ticks. One should check the clothes frequently for signs of any ticks. Shoes should cover the feet completely, leaving no room for deer tick bites possibility. Just as in the case of mosquito bites, application of eucalyptus oil onto the skin helps keep deer ticks at bay.