Human infection with tick-borne borreliosis occurs through a bite. infected tick. Ticks transmit the bulk of pathogens in the first minutes of the bite along with the first portion of anesthetic saliva. Infection with tick-borne borreliosis is also possible when a tick is crushed during the process of removing it from animals or the human body, with subsequent introduction of the virus to the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and lips or to damaged areas of the skin.
If a tick has attached itself to a person’s skin, it should be removed especially carefully so as not to tear off the proboscis, which is deeply and strongly strengthened for the entire period of suction.
When removing a tick, the following recommendations must be followed:
Ticks removed from the skin can be delivered to a laboratory, where they are tested for Borrelia infection in compliance with the following rules:
1. Only live ticks are suitable for research.
2. Do not lubricate ticks with oils, creams, etc.
3. The removed tick should be placed in a clean container (test tube, vial, jar, etc.), in which, in order to create high humidity, first place absorbent paper slightly moistened with water (filter paper, paper napkin and etc.).
4. Storage and delivery of ticks in compliance with the above conditions is possible only within 2 days.
Ixodid tick-borne borreliosis (TBB) is a transmissible natural focal infection with an acute or chronic course. The causative agent is the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi; 12 genotypes of the pathogen are currently described.
Many species of small mammals, ungulates, and birds are reservoirs of the pathogen and “feeders” of ticks. Human susceptibility to Borrelia is very high. Cases of diseases are registered among all age groups; the working-age adult population gets sick more often. Clinically, tick-borne borreliosis is characterized by a polymorphism of manifestations: damage to the skin, nervous and cardiovascular systems, musculoskeletal system, general infectious intoxication, and often acquires a chronic and relapsing course. Infection in endemic areas is possible from March-April to September-October, the most dangerous time being May and June.
The causative agent of the disease is transmitted to a person in the first minutes of the bite of a Borrelia-infected tick along with anesthetic saliva.
Infection of the population is possible:
The incubation (hidden) period ranges from 1 to 30 days (usually 7-14 days), the accuracy of which depends on the accuracy of establishing the fact of tick suction. The disease usually begins acutely or subacutely with the appearance of pain, itching, swelling and redness at the site of the tick bite. Patients complain of moderate headache, general weakness, malaise. Body temperature rises, often up to 38 degrees C. At the same time, characteristic skin erythema appears (in 70-90% of cases). It gradually increases in size from the center to the periphery, reaching a diameter of 3 to 68 cm. Sometimes, several red rings are surrounded by one common one.
Tick-borne encephalitis can be prevented using nonspecific prophylaxis. The main goal of nonspecific prophylaxis is to prevent tick bites.
Nonspecific prevention includes the use of:
| No. | Name of the drug | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Biban" | Slovenia |
| 2. | "DEFI-Taiga" | Russia |
| 3. | “Off! Extreme" | Italy |
| 4. | "Gardex aerosol extreme" | Italy |
| 5. | "Gal-RET" | Russia |
| 6. | "Gal - RET - cl" | Russia |
| 7. | "Deta-WOKKO" | Russia |
| 8. | "Reftamid maximum" | Russia |
| 9. | "Pretix" - bar | Russia, PBOYUL P.N. Dobronravov |
| 10. | "Reftamid taiga" (aerosol) | Russia, JSC "Sibiar" |
| 11. | "Picnic - Antiklesch" (aerosol) | Russia, JSC "Arnest" |
| 12. | "Tornado - Antiklesch" (in propellant-free aerosol packaging) | Russia Moscow |
| 13. | "Fumitox - anti-mite" (aerosol) | Russia Moscow |
| 14. | "Gardex - anti-mite" (aerosol) | Italy, company "Zaka S.r.L." |
| 15. | "Permanon" (aerosol) | Russia |
| 16. | "Kra-rep" (aerosol) | Russia, JSC "Khiton" |
| 17. | "Moskitol - anti-mite" (aerosol) | France, FCA |
Each person, being in a natural focus of tick-borne borreliosis during the active season of insects, should often (every 10-15 minutes) conduct superficial inspections of his clothing, and every 2 hours it is necessary to conduct thorough examinations of the body, removing and turning out clothes. In dangerous territory, you should not sit or lie down on the grass, or it is necessary to carry out self- and mutual inspections of clothing especially often and carefully. To choose a parking place or overnight stay, dry pine forests with sandy soil or areas devoid of herbaceous vegetation. Before spending the night, you should carefully inspect your clothing, body and hair. After returning from the forest, conduct a full examination of the body and clothing. Do not bring freshly picked flowers, branches, outerwear and other items that may contain ticks.
Don’t forget that ticks usually don’t stick right away! The faster the tick is removed from the body, the smaller the dose of the pathogen it will transmit! A tick attached to the body must be removed immediately after detection, being careful not to tear off the proboscis immersed in the skin, and contact a medical facility. To remove an attached tick, you need to grab it with tweezers or fingers wrapped in clean gauze as close to the oral apparatus as possible and, holding it strictly perpendicular to the surface of the bite, turn the tick’s body around its axis and remove it from the skin. The removed tick should be burned or poured with boiling water. It is recommended to treat the wound at the site of the bite with iodine and wash your hands thoroughly.
In the capital, submitting a tick for analysis costs from 450 to 1,900 rubles. If the fact of carriage is detected, adult victims are sent to the Research Institute of Emergency Medicine named after N.V. Sklifosovsky:
Children under the age of 14-16 years after being bitten by ixodid ticks are urgently sent to a clinical hospital. Hospital No. 13 named after N. F. Filatov:
Also, first aid to injured people is required to be provided in medical institutions at the place of registration.
If you do not know where to take a tick for analysis in Moscow, contact one of the following specialized centers:
The tick should be taken for analysis to the address: Vnukovo city, Moskovsky village, Moscow region (+7-498-540-90-96)
Quick tick test for encephalitis at a price of 725 rubles. will be done at the address: Mytishchi city, Semashko street, 2 (+7-495-582-96-55 or +7-495-586-12-11)
Affordable hemotest analysis of ticks is carried out at the address: Moscow, Grafsky Lane 4/9 (+7-495-687-40-35 and +7-495-687-40-47) or Varshavskoe Highway, 19A (+7- 495-952-40-98)
An urgent tick analysis will be performed in Moscow at Goncharnaya Street, 11 st. 2 (+7-495-698-05-38)
A complete tick check for encephalitis is carried out at the address in Moscow: 2nd Institutskaya Street, building 2/10 (+7-499-171-15-41)
You can submit a tick for analysis in the Moscow region at the address: 1st Lane Infantry House 6 (+7-499-190-48-61)
Residents of the Western Administrative District who do not know where to take a tick for examination should contact the address: Bolshaya Filevskaya Street, building 33 (+7-499-144-00-42)
Residents of the Northern Administrative District who are interested in where to check ticks for encephalitis can contact the address: Ad Street. Makarova building 10 (+7-495-452-19-74)
Residents of the Central Administrative District who are wondering where to take a tick for analysis should take the insect to the center at the address: A. Solzhenitsyn Street, building 12, st. 5 (+7-495-912-38-08)
If residents of the South-Eastern Administrative District need to submit a tick for analysis in Moscow, you need to come with the insect to the address: Volgogradsky Avenue, building 113 k.5 (+7-495-919-36-32)
Those residents of the capital and region who do not know where to take a tick for analysis in Moscow can contact the Center for Hygienic Education of the Population. The institution is located at 1st lane Smolensky building 9 st. 1. It is better to first contact representatives of the center at +7-499-241-86-28. The specific cost of checking a tick for encephalitis cannot be specified, since each laboratory sets its own prices, depending on the diagnostic method, reagents and equipment used. Prices will vary slightly. For example, submitting a tick for analysis in Moscow VAO will cost 70-120 rubles. cheaper than at FBUZ.
Now you know where to take a tick for analysis in the Moscow region and the capital, so there is no need to panic. After the bite, the main thing is:
All 4 rules are extremely important to follow, especially if we're talking about about the child. It is worth remembering that a “safe” insect (is not a carrier dangerous virus or infection) can also harm the body. According to statistics, 68.6% of people receive the strongest allergic reaction when bitten. She's called individual intolerance insect secretion. Therefore they act in next sequence- extraction, comprehensive first aid and examination of the tick, the cost of which can be found out by phone number.
For extraction use:
In addition to proper extraction, the insect also needs to be correctly delivered to the laboratory. In order for a tick test for encephalitis, the cost of which will depend on the type of insect, to give undistorted results, you need:
Remember: Wherever you submit a tick for inspection, you must attach to the container information about the location of the attack, the date of the attack and the time from the moment the insect was removed.
Having found out how much it costs to test a tick for encephalitis and other infections, they take the following measures:
A child or adult who has been bitten should be taken to the hospital. It is advisable to take a tick that was removed for a hemotest along the way.
If you cannot test a tick for encephalitis in Moscow (the price of the procedure is indicated above), then you should donate blood for testing within 4 days. Even if the victim went to the clinic, it is better to study the clinical material. Moreover, doctors recommend that even if you bring a tick for analysis, the price of which will not exceed 2,500 rubles, and receive a negative result, undergo a blood test. A mandatory procedure is a 30-day observation of the bitten person if no infections are detected.
Laboratory testing of ticks for encephalitis in Moscow is carried out within 4-7 working days. The time depends on the method used and the number of confirmed infections. An expert from the institution where you decided to submit the tick for testing will tell you what kind of test should be ordered.
Reading time: 19 minutes. Published 10/28/2019
An initial consultation regarding a tick bite can be obtained by calling an ambulance at 03 (from mobile phones - 112).
After removing the tick, place it in a small glass bottle with cotton wool or gauze lightly moistened with water (to prevent the tick from drying out). Cap the bottle and store it in the refrigerator.
For microscopic diagnosis, the tick must be delivered to the laboratory alive. Even individual tick fragments are suitable for PCR diagnostics. However, the latter method is not widespread even in major cities.
The page provides information on laboratories where you can donate a tick to determine whether it is infected, or donate blood to determine antibodies to infections, as well as the addresses of seroprophylaxis points (emergency prophylaxis with anti-tick immunoglobulin) tick-borne encephalitis.
For seroprophylaxis (administration of anti-tick immunoglobulin), adults are sent to the Sklifosovsky Institute (“Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Medicine”)
After you have been able to get the tick yourself, it must be submitted for analysis to a laboratory so that you can accurately determine whether you are at risk of serious viral diseases such as encephalitis, borreliosis, etc. in the near future.
To prepare the tick, carefully place it in a tightly sealed container, such as a test tube or glass jar for tablets, solution, etc. It is important that the container closes tightly. You will need to take the tick in it for examination.
The tick is placed in a jarDo not forget to put a small piece of cotton wool or gauze in this container, moistening it cold water. Ticks do not tolerate high temperature, so it would be correct to place the test tube in a cool place. Often it is a refrigerator.
You can place the tick on gauzeWe remind you once again that the main thing is that the tick is alive at the time of storage and delivery to the laboratory, and at the time of transportation it cannot crawl out of the jar.
As a rule, tick testing can be carried out by special laboratories located in city clinics or hospitals. There are also commercial medical laboratories that will also conduct analysis for a fee.
Attention!
But not every commercial organization researches tick-borne diseases, so check before you decide to go to them.
How to find laboratory addresses? To independently find the laboratory closest to you where to take the tick, you can contact the local clinic, for example, by calling the reception or reception desk. If necessary, they will redirect you to another phone number to obtain more accurate information.
Also, as a last resort, NitHome advises, you can call an ambulance and ask for the addresses of the laboratories. Well, if nothing works out at all, then you can search on the Internet. Just don't delay. The tick must be delivered within 24 hours.
What do you need to have with you to submit a tick for analysis? When handing over a tick, you will need, no matter how trivial it may sound, the culprit himself to be alive, as well as an identification document. And it would be a good idea to take your insurance policy (Compulsory Medical Insurance) with you, just in case you might be able to conduct an analysis free of charge at your expense.
How long does the analysis take? Tick checks tend to take different times. When analyzing for tick-borne encephalitis, it takes 4 days, and if for borreliosis, then only 1 day. But you need to check with a specific clinic how long it will take them to conduct the research. After all, the sooner the result becomes known, the sooner you will begin to take appropriate measures in relation to your health.
Paid or free analysis?. Before you choose a laboratory where to submit a tick, ask how much such an analysis will cost you and in what time frame. Commercial clinics will charge several times more than municipal institutions.
It is worth understanding that the compulsory medical insurance policy does not cover these expenses. But to save money, it is best to contact your local physician so that he can issue a referral for analysis to a specific laboratory. Some others do this: they go straight to the clinic, where they remove the tick, put it in a test tube and send it for analysis.
This, in most cases, turns out to be cheaper, or even free. You can also inquire at your regional health department office. They can suggest how to carry out the analysis, spending as much as possible less money. But the cost of analysis varies everywhere, depending on the region. Somewhere it might be 700 rubles, and somewhere it might be 1500 rubles.
Warm days have arrived, everyone is eager to go out of town, to the countryside, or just relax in nature. However, it is necessary to remember that along with the awakening of nature, various insects and blood-sucking bugs begin to crawl out and become active.
In private areas and in the countryside, you can carry out preventive disinfestation in advance, thereby protecting yourself and your loved ones. After all, it’s not always possible to keep track of where children are walking or where a curious pet might wander.
For removal, gloves are required; a special device is also used, which can be purchased at pharmacies or pet stores. Some people use regular thread to remove it.
In this case, you need to carefully tie the thread at the base and make a couple of turns counterclockwise. If in doubt, do not take risks and entrust the extraction procedure to competent specialists.
It needs to be tested in a laboratory as soon as possible in order to find out whether there is a possibility of contracting any infections. If necessary, the victim is injected with immunoglobulin to avoid any complications.
Spring this year turned out to be late and cold, the grass is in no hurry to grow and the air is in no hurry to warm up. And not only in the Moscow region, but throughout Russia. And the ticks are still sluggish and in no hurry to attack people. And there are few people walking in parks and forests. That’s why there are much fewer people bitten than there are at this time. For example, in 2017, at this time, 133 Muscovites consulted doctors with tick bites. As of April 24, 2018, only 75 people came to doctors for help, that is, half as many.
According to the Federal Office Rospotrebnadzor As of April 20, in total about 4 thousand people in Russia contacted doctors with tick bites, 1,591 of them were children. And these numbers are also significantly lower than usual: for example, at the end of April last year, more than 12 thousand people were already bitten.
As Mikhail Lebedev, an expert at the Center for Molecular Diagnostics (CMD) of the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, explains, this is logical - ticks begin to wake up and act when the average daily temperature is not lower than 7 degrees Celsius. And they are most active in humid weather at a temperature of 18-20 degrees Celsius.
Where do ticks attack in the Moscow region?
According to the capital's Rospotrebnadzor, all those bitten in 2018 brought ticks from the Moscow region, as well as other regions and even countries. In the Moscow region, ticks have already woken up in Volokolamsk, Dmitrovsky, Naro-Fominsk, Chekhovsky, Domodedovo, Mozhaisk, Mytishchi, Noginsky, Ramensky, Solnechnogorsk, Stupinsky, Taldomsky, Shakhovsky districts. And also Muscovites “found” ticks in the Tver, Smolensk, Ryazan, Vladimir, Belgorod, Kaluga regions, Krasnodar region, Crimea and on the territory of Belarus, Germany, Ukraine.
Compared with 2017, then May holidays ticks were active in the following areas: Ramensky, Orekhovo-Zuevsky, Noginsky, Kolomensky districts, Balashikha and Orekhovo-Zuevo urban district, Zhukovsky, Lyuberetsky and Pavlovo-Posadsky, as well as Serpukhovsky districts. In Moscow last year, ticks were spotted in Losiny Ostrov and Serebryany Bor parks.
That is, there are ticks in all areas of the Moscow region, and they may also be in Moscow parks.
Moscow region ticks are carriers of such dangerous diseases as ixodid tick-borne borreliosis (Lyme disease), human granulocytic anaplasmosis, human monocytic ehrlichiosis and a number of others, says Mikhail Lebedev. - Last year, 895 cases of borreliosis infection were recorded in Moscow, 33 people were infected directly in the city.
