Removal of the Tick from the Skin
In any case, you should remove the tick as quickly as possible after a bite. The risk of Borrelia infection increases significantly with the duration of attachment. The transmission rate of Borrelia to the host is approximately 30% after one day and approaches 100% after two to three days.
The tick should be grasped with fine tweezers directly above the skin and pulled out straight and slowly. Avoid squeezing the tick’s body, as this may force Borrelia directly into the bite site. Under no circumstances should you apply oil, alcohol, or adhesive to the tick. This approach can lead to increased saliva production and thus heightened pathogen transmission.
Lyme Borreliosis Disease
Ticks are of great medical significance, as their lifestyle enables them to transmit a variety of diseases. Accordingly, a tick bite should be treated as an injury that must not be taken lightly.
The tick itself acquires the pathogens during tissue and blood feeding. Subsequently, the pathogens pass through the intestine into the salivary glands, from where they are transmitted via tick saliva to the new host during the next blood meal. This enables ticks to become vectors for pathogenic microorganisms.
Pathogen
Lyme borreliosis is caused by the spiral-shaped bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi from the spirochete group. Borrelia bacteria are found in small rodents such as rats and mice, from which they are transmitted to various organisms through tick bites. Many animals are immune to Borrelia, while others such as dogs, horses, cattle, and humans are not immune. To date, ten different genospecies of the pathogen have been described using molecular genetic analyses, of which three species are considered definitively pathogenic to humans: B. burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), B. garinii, and B. afzelii. B. valaisiana is currently being discussed as an additional human pathogenic species.
Disease Progression
The progression of Lyme borreliosis is generally not clearly predictable, as different clinical forms with varying symptoms occur depending on the affected tissues.
However, three stages of the disease can essentially be distinguished:
Stage 1 occurs shortly after the tick bite through the multiplication of Borrelia in the body. Flu-like symptoms and a ring-shaped expanding skin redness (erythema migrans) can be observed in 50% of cases.
Stage 2 often occurs only after several weeks or months, when the Borrelia have established themselves in the body. Headaches, dizziness, joint inflammation, and cardiac arrhythmias are just some possible symptoms.
Stage 3 is characterized by chronic inflammation of the nerves and joints (Lyme arthritis) and is very difficult to treat.
