Are there typical tick-biting symptoms (colloquially also “tick bite symptoms”), which point to the injection site of the small blood suckers? What can it mean if a redness forms after tick bite? Why is it advisable to keep an eye on even harmless-looking tick bites? The answers to these and other questions about tick biting symptoms can be found here!
General tick-tick symptoms
Tick bites should be taken care of quickly and then monitored for signs of infection. But how can a tick bite be recognized? Are there typical tick-biting symptoms?
A tick bite is easily noticed when the tick is still sitting on the skin, clinging and sucking blood. The parasite is a roundish arachnid with a small head and a large dorsal shield.
If the tick is no longer on the skin, a sting is not so easy to identify. Typical tick-ticking symptoms are missing. As a rule, the stitch itself is painless, as the tick injects an analgesic into the wound. In addition, tick bites do not usually itch.
Even if the tick bite and the surrounding environment look harmless, you should watch the spot in the following days for possible changes – they may indicate an infection. It is best to mark the puncture site with a waterproof pen.
Tick bite symptoms that speak for an infection
When a tick bite itches, there is usually an infection with a pathogen. This can be a local tick bite inflammation caused by bacteria that naturally occur on the skin and get into the wound. An itchy tick bite can also speak for a Borrelia infection. There is also another indication of the transmission of Borrelia by a tick bite: redness at the injection site. It forms days to weeks after the tick bite, is usually circular and can vary greatly in their extent and their color. Similarly, a fever can occur in a Borrelia infection.
The occurrence of fever after tick bite may also indicate an infection with TBE viruses (causative agent of tick-borne encephalitis), which can also be transmitted by the small bloodsuckers. The puncture site usually does not itch. Even otherwise, no special tick-ticking symptoms can be detected around the puncture site. Frequently, symptoms such as fatigue, headache and body aches occur in TBE.
Tick bite symptoms: paralysis
Lyme disease can occur as part of Lyme disease or TBE. But even without an infection, weaknesses can develop in the muscles after a tick bite: Paralysis phenomena that rise up from the legs. These Tick bite symptoms are termed tick paralysis. It mainly occurs after tick bites on the American double continent, in Africa and Asia.