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Tick bite
Ticks are bugs that can attach to you as you brush past bushes, plants, and grass. Once on you, ticks often move to a warm, moist place on your body, like the armpits, groin, and hair. There, they typically attach firmly to your skin and begin to draw blood. Avoiding ticks is important because they can infect you with bacteria that cause illness.
Ticks can be fairly large, about the size of a pencil eraser, or so small that they are almost impossible to see. There are about 850 different types of ticks. Most tick bites are harmless, but some can cause mild to serious health conditions.
This article describes the effects of a tick bite.
This article is for information only. DO NOT use it to treat or manage a tick bite. If you or someone you are with is bitten by a tick, call your local emergency number (such as 911), or your local poison center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States.
Poisonous Ingredient
Hard- and soft-bodied female ticks are believed to make a poison that can cause tick paralysis in children.
Tick paralysis
Tick paralysis is a loss of muscle function that results from a tick bite.
Most ticks do not carry diseases, but some carry bacteria that can cause:
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Colorado tick fever
Colorado tick fever
Colorado tick fever is a viral infection. It is spread by the bite of the Rocky Mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni).
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Lyme disease
Lyme disease
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is spread through the bite of one of several types of ticks.
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Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is a disease caused by a type of bacteria carried by ticks.
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Tularemia
Tularemia
Tularemia is a bacterial infection common in wild rodents. The bacteria are passed to humans through contact with tissue from the infected animal. ...
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These and other illnesses may cause heart, nervous system, kidney, adrenal gland, and liver damage, and may cause death.
Where Found
Ticks live in wooded areas or grassy fields.
Symptoms
Watch for symptoms of tick-borne diseases in the weeks after a tick bite. These include muscle or joint aches, stiff neck, headache, weakness, fever, swollen lymph nodes, and other flu-like symptoms. Watch for a red spot or rash starting at the site of the bite.
The symptoms below are from the bite itself, not from the diseases a bite may cause. Some of the symptoms are caused by one variety of tick or another, but may not be common to all ticks.
- Stopped breathing
- Difficulty breathing
- Blisters
- Rash
- Severe pain at site lasting several weeks (from some kinds of ticks)
- Swelling at site (from some kinds of ticks)
- Weakness
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Uncoordinated movement
Uncoordinated movement
Uncoordinated movement is due to a muscle control problem that causes an inability to coordinate movements. It leads to a jerky, unsteady, to-and-fr...
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Home Care
Remove the tick . Be careful not to leave the tick's head stuck in the skin.
Remove the tick
Ticks are small, insect-like creatures that live in woods and fields. They attach to you as you brush past bushes, plants, and grass. Once on you, ...
Before Calling Emergency
Have this information ready:
- Person's age, weight, and condition
- Time the tick bite occurred
- Part of the body affected
Poison Control
Your local poison center can be reached directly by calling the national toll-free Poison Help hotline (1-800-222-1222) from anywhere in the United States. They will give you further instructions.
Poison Help hotline
For a POISON EMERGENCY call:1-800-222-1222ANYWHERE IN THE UNITED STATESThis national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. This ...
This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What to Expect at the Emergency Room
The symptoms will be treated. Long-term treatment may be needed if complications develop. Preventive antibiotics are often given to people who live in areas where Lyme disease is common.
The person may receive:
- Blood and urine tests
- Breathing support, including oxygen
- Chest x-ray
- EKG (electrocardiogram, or heart tracing)
- Intravenous fluids (through a vein)
- Medicines to treat symptoms
Outlook (Prognosis)
Most tick bites are harmless. The outcome will depend on what type of infection the tick may have been carrying and how soon appropriate treatment was started. If you are bitten by a tick that carried a disease and you were not treated correctly, long-term health effects may occur months or even years later.
References
Bryant K. Tickborne infections. In: Long SS, ed. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases . 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2012:chap 92.
Otten EJ. Venomous animal injuries. In: Marx JA, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice . 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2014:chap 62.
Traub SJ, Cummins GA. Tick-borne diseases. In: Auerbach PS, ed. Wilderness Medicine . 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Mosby; 2011:chap 51.
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Lyme disease, erythema chronicum migrans - illustration
Erythema migrans is the initial lesion of Lyme disease, and often appears at the site of the infecting tick bite. It is a red, enlarging rash, flat or slightly raised, and may reach from 4 to 20 inches (12 to 35 cm) across (the average rash is 6 inches, or 17 cm). (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
Lyme disease, erythema chronicum migrans
illustration
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Lyme disease organism, Borrelia burgdorferi - illustration
Borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochete bacteria that causes Lyme disease. It is similar in shape to the spirochetes that cause other diseases, such as relapsing fever and syphilis. (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) Borrelia burgdorferi
Lyme disease organism, Borrelia burgdorferi
illustration
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Deer ticks - illustration
Diseases are often carried by ticks, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Colorado Tick Fever, Lyme disease, and tularemia. Less common or less frequent diseases include typhus, Q-fever, relapsing fever, viral encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever, and babesiosis.
Deer ticks
illustration
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Ticks - illustration
There are many species of ticks. Of these, a large proportion are capable of carrying disease. Diseases carried by ticks include Lyme disease, Erlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Colorado Tick Fever, tularemia, typhus, hemorrhagic fever, and viral encephalitis. (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
Ticks
illustration
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Tick, deer engorged on the skin - illustration
Ixodes dammini
Tick, deer engorged on the skin
illustration
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Lyme disease - Borrelia burgdorferi organism - illustration
Borrelia burgdorferi.
Lyme disease - Borrelia burgdorferi organism
illustration
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Tick, deer - adult female - illustration
Ixodes dammini
Tick, deer - adult female
illustration
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Deer and dog tick - illustration
Ticks are small, insect-like creatures that live in woods and fields. They can attach to people or animals as they brush past bushes, plants, and grass. Ticks can be fairly large, as big as a pencil eraser, or so small that they are almost impossible to see. While most ticks do not carry diseases, some ticks can cause Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, and tularemia.
Deer and dog tick
illustration
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Tick imbedded in the skin - illustration
This is a close-up photograph of a tick embedded in the skin. Ticks are important because they can carry diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, Colorado tick fever, Lyme disease, and others.
Tick imbedded in the skin
illustration
-
Lyme disease, erythema chronicum migrans - illustration
Erythema migrans is the initial lesion of Lyme disease, and often appears at the site of the infecting tick bite. It is a red, enlarging rash, flat or slightly raised, and may reach from 4 to 20 inches (12 to 35 cm) across (the average rash is 6 inches, or 17 cm). (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
Lyme disease, erythema chronicum migrans
illustration
-
Lyme disease organism, Borrelia burgdorferi - illustration
Borrelia burgdorferi is a spirochete bacteria that causes Lyme disease. It is similar in shape to the spirochetes that cause other diseases, such as relapsing fever and syphilis. (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.) Borrelia burgdorferi
Lyme disease organism, Borrelia burgdorferi
illustration
-
Deer ticks - illustration
Diseases are often carried by ticks, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Colorado Tick Fever, Lyme disease, and tularemia. Less common or less frequent diseases include typhus, Q-fever, relapsing fever, viral encephalitis, hemorrhagic fever, and babesiosis.
Deer ticks
illustration
-
Ticks - illustration
There are many species of ticks. Of these, a large proportion are capable of carrying disease. Diseases carried by ticks include Lyme disease, Erlichiosis, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Colorado Tick Fever, tularemia, typhus, hemorrhagic fever, and viral encephalitis. (Image courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.)
Ticks
illustration
-
Tick, deer engorged on the skin - illustration
Ixodes dammini
Tick, deer engorged on the skin
illustration
-
Lyme disease - Borrelia burgdorferi organism - illustration
Borrelia burgdorferi.
Lyme disease - Borrelia burgdorferi organism
illustration
-
Tick, deer - adult female - illustration
Ixodes dammini
Tick, deer - adult female
illustration
-
Deer and dog tick - illustration
Ticks are small, insect-like creatures that live in woods and fields. They can attach to people or animals as they brush past bushes, plants, and grass. Ticks can be fairly large, as big as a pencil eraser, or so small that they are almost impossible to see. While most ticks do not carry diseases, some ticks can cause Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, and tularemia.
Deer and dog tick
illustration
-
Tick imbedded in the skin - illustration
This is a close-up photograph of a tick embedded in the skin. Ticks are important because they can carry diseases such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, Colorado tick fever, Lyme disease, and others.
Tick imbedded in the skin
illustration
Review Date: 7/14/2015
Reviewed By: Jacob L. Heller, MD, MHA, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Isla Ogilvie, PhD, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
