Lyme Disease

Medically Reviewed by Neha Pathak, MD on August 27, 2021

Lyme disease is an infection that is transmitted through the bite of a tick infected with a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi. Ticks typically get the bacterium by biting infected animals, like deer and mice. The chance of contracting the disease increases the longer the tick is attached to the body. But most people who get tick bites do not get Lyme disease, and not all ticks are infected.

Within 1 to 4 weeks of being bitten, most people have some Lyme disease symptoms. A circular rash called erythema migrans develops at the site of the bite in about 70% to 80% of cases. It slowly grows, reaching 12 inches or more. It could also:

• Feel warm, but likely won’t itch or hurt
• Flare up elsewhere on the body
• Look like a target or bulls-eye as it clears up

It may look different from person to person, especially if you have darker skin.

Some people also report flu-like symptoms at this stage, including:

• Fever
• Chills
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Joint pain
• Muscle aches

If the disease goes untreated in its early stages, over several weeks or months it can spread to other areas of the body like your:

• Joints
• Heart
• Nervous system

You could also have more rashes and periods of pain and weakness in your arms or legs. Other symptoms include:

• Facial muscle paralysis (Bell’s palsy)
• Headache
• Poor memory
• Fast heartbeat
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Inflamed brain and spinal cord

This is the most serious stage of the disease, when treatment either didn’t work or never started. It usually happens many months after the first bite. Symptoms include:

• Inflamed joints, usually in the knees (arthritis)
• Nerve damage (peripheral nerves)
• Confusion
• Inflamed heart muscle and abnormal heartbeat (less common)

No. In the northeastern and north-central U.S., the black-legged tick (or deer tick) carries Lyme disease. In the Pacific coastal U.S., the western black-legged tick spreads the disease.

Other major tick species in the U.S., like the lone star tick and the dog tick, do NOT transmit the Lyme disease bacterium. But beware: All 50 states have reported Lyme disease, as well as Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America.

You can’t catch Lyme disease from:

• An infected person
• Pets (unless an infected tick falls off the animal and then bites you)
• Insects like mosquitoes, flies, or fleas, although these insects can carry the borrelia bacteria
• Air, food, or water

If a tick bites you, right away you’ll probably notice a small, red bump that looks like a mosquito bite. If it disappears after a couple of days, it’s not Lyme disease.

There’s another tick-borne illness that looks a lot like Lyme disease. Southern tick-associated rash illness (STARI) has some of the same symptoms of Lyme disease, like fatigue, headache, fever, and muscle pain. But symptoms tend to happen more quickly. You’ll likely just have one outbreak on your skin, and it’ll be smaller and rounder than with Lyme disease. You’ll also likely get better with antibiotics sooner.

Doctors can diagnose the disease through physical findings such as a “bull’s-eye” rash along with a history of symptoms. But not everyone has the rash, and not everyone can recall being bitten. Special blood tests can be taken 3 to 4 weeks after suspected contact to confirm the diagnosis. Other tests, such as a spinal tap or skin biopsy, may be done to help diagnose or rule out other conditions.

Most Lyme disease is curable with antibiotics, particularly when the infection is diagnosed and treated early. Later stages might require longer-term, intravenous antibiotics.

Currently, there is no human vaccine for Lyme disease. A vaccine was developed years ago for use in high-risk areas, but it is no longer available.

To avoid Lyme disease:

• Stay clear of grassy or wooded areas, especially from May to July.
• Cover exposed skin and your scalp in possible tick-infested areas.
• Apply a DEET-based insect repellent to your skin.
• Apply an insect repellent with permethrin to your clothes, but never on your skin.
• After spending time outside, carefully inspect yourself and pets for ticks.
• Wash your skin and scalp to get rid of any loosely attached ticks.

If you have a tick, here’s how to remove it the right way:

• Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the part of the tick closest to your skin. Focus on the head, not the belly.
• Slowly pull the tick straight out, without twisting it.
• Wash the bite site with soap and warm water.
• Throw the dead tick into the trash.
• Do not use a lit match, nail polish, petroleum jelly, or other topical agents in an attempt to remove a tick.

IMAGES PROVIDED BY:

1) RobertAx / Getty Images

2) anakopa / Getty Images

3) PM Images / Getty Images

4) magicmine / Getty Images

5) Viaframe / Getty Images

6) DieterMeyrl / Getty Images

7) Ling Jin / Getty Images

8) Denys Williams / Wikipedia

9) Wunderling / Wikipedia

10) Thomas Barwick / Getty Images

11) Peter Dazely / Getty Images

12) Ca-ssis / Getty Images

13) Alex McGregor / Getty Images

14) S. Rohrlach / Getty Images

SOURCES:

American College of Rheumatology.

American Lyme Disease Foundation.

CDC: “STARI or Lyme?” “Signs and Symptoms of Untreated Lyme Disease.”

Medscape Reference.

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

ScienceDaily.

The Nemours Foundation.

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Bugs That Burrow Under Skin

Medically Reviewed by Debra Jaliman, MD on August 06, 2021

If you wear contact lenses, don’t wash them in tap water. You might pick up this bug, which can burrow into your eye and cause an infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis. Symptoms include redness, a feeling that something’s in your eye, and sensitivity to light. If it isn’t treated, you could lose your sight. It’s most common among contact lens wearers, but anyone can get the bug. It lives in bodies of water like lakes and oceans, and in soil and air.

This worm is a parasite that spreads through deer-fly bites. It burrows into your skin and causes itchy areas around your joints called Calabar swellings. It also leads to an infection called loiasis, or African eye worm. You may even see the worm as it crawls across the surface of your eye or under your skin. But you probably won’t get it unless you spend time in the rain forests of West and Central Africa.

These bugs, known as sand fleas or jiggers, dig into your feet at the heel, sole, or toes. They cause a skin disease called tungiasis. You don’t feel it when they go in. But they grow up to 2,000 times bigger once inside your foot. This makes your skin itchy and irritated. Your foot may also swell and get ulcers. Some people get gangrene or tetanus. Chigoe fleas live in sandy, tropical places, and aren’t common in the United States.

This tapeworm can grow up to a foot long in your intestines. It’s rare for people to get it in the U.S., but animals can have it. Most human cases are in Southeast Asia. Sparganum can live almost anywhere inside your body for up to 20 years. The infection doesn’t usually cause symptoms, unless it’s in your brain. Then you can have weakness, a headache, numbness, tingling, or a seizure.

These squirmers are way too small to see without a microscope. You get them when an infected mosquito bites you. They live in your lymph system and cause a disease called lymphatic filariasis. It can lead to fever, swollen lymph nodes, and a buildup of fluid in your body. Most people never have any symptoms, though. The worms are most common in the tropics. They don’t affect people in the U. S.

This pest isn’t a worm at all — it’s a fly. Adults lay eggs on a cut or sore on your skin. When they hatch, the larvae feed on the wound and cause an infection. Livestock get it more often than humans. It’s most common in South American and Caribbean countries. 

This is called the “brain-eating amoeba” because it destroys brain tissue. It lives in warm lakes and rivers, and it can travel up your nose when you swim. Symptoms include headaches, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Later, it can cause stiff neck, seizures, and hallucinations. Most infected people die, but the disease is rare. Between 1962 and 2008 there were 111 reported cases in the U.S., mostly among young, healthy men.

This spiky parasite travels through your stomach wall after it infects you. It’s most common in cats, but people can get it by eating undercooked freshwater fish. You can’t catch it from a person who has it. The larva infects your stomach and liver first, causing pain. Then it moves to your skin, which swells and itches. It can be deadly if it gets into your nervous system. It’s mostly found in Southeast Asia and is rare in the U.S.

These pests can dig into any part of your body, but they really like folds, creases, or hairy areas like your scalp. They can range from the size of a sesame seed to that of an apple seed or larger. They tend to hang out on tall grass and shrubs, and they hook onto you when you brush against them. Ticks cut into your skin so they can stick in a tube and suck out blood. The ones that carry Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other conditions infect you as they feed

These critters get their name from where they like to bite — around your mouth and eyes. They usually attack while you’re asleep. They often hang out in woodpiles or rats’ nests. They’re also drawn to the lights and carbon dioxide in your house. They feed on both pets and people. Their bite can cause an allergic reaction. They also spread Chagas disease, which can be life-threatening.

These mites dig tunnels under your skin and lay eggs in them. You can get them if you have close contact or sleep in the same bed with someone who has them. They’re too small to see, though. They prefer the skin between fingers, arm and leg folds, the penis, breasts, and shoulder blades. It can take up to a month for you to feel the itch. Your doctor will give you something to get rid of them.

Three kinds of them live on people: body, head, and pubic lice. These sesame seed-sized bugs grab onto hair and feed on blood through your skin. Mostly they make you itch, but they can spread disease. You get them from direct contact with a person who has them. Pubic lice can be spread through sex. Lice are very common. Treat them with over-the-counter and prescription medications.

When you think of critters that dig in, chiggers may be the first things that come to mind. But they don’t burrow. They attach to your outer layer of skin and feast on the cells. Once the bug is full, it lets go. This usually takes 3 days. In the meantime, the bites itch. A lot. Chiggers live in shady, grassy areas or on leaves close to the ground. They like areas under the tight parts of clothing, like waistbands or sock cuffs.

IMAGES PROVIDED BY:

(1) CDC / Anna S. Kitzmann, M.D. 

(2) Getty Images

(3) CDC

(4) Philipp Weigell / Wikimedias

(5) Getty Images

(6) Getty Images

(7) Drs. D.T. John & T.B. Cole / Getty Images

(8) Joanna S. Herman, and Peter L. Chiodini Clin. Microbiol., American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

(9) Getty Images

(10) Getty Images

(11) Getty Images

(12) Getty Images

(14) Phototake

SOURCES:

CDC: Parasites — Loiasis

CDC: “Loiasis FAQs”

CDC: “Sparganosis.”

CDC: “Tungiasis,”

Pan American Health Organization: “Tungiasis.”

Heemskerk, J. ActaChirurgica Belgica, 2005.

Baron, S., editor, Medical Microbiology, 4^th Edition: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; 1996.

CDC: “Parasites — Lymphatic Filariasis.”

CDC: “Acanthamoeba Keratitis FAQs”

Center for Food Security and Public Health: “Screwworm.”

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: “New World Screwworm.”

CDC: “Naegleria fowleri — Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM).”

American Association of Veterinary Parasitologists: “Gnathostoma Spinigerum.”

CDC: “Parasites — Gnathostomiasis (Gnathostoma Infection).”

Lyme Disease Association: “About Ticks.”

CDC: “Life Cycle of Hard Ticks that Spread Disease.”

CDC: “Tickborne Diseases of the U.S.”

University of Arizona Department of Neuroscience: “Basic Kissing Bug Facts.”

Illinois Department of Public Health: “Mites Affecting Humans.”

University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment: “Parasitic Mites of Humans.”

CDC: “Lice.”

CDC: “Lice — Pubic ‘Crab’ Lice.”

WA Today: “’Spiderman’ squished: Perth experts debunk spider burrowing claims. ”

Foelix, R. Biology of Spiders, 3^rd Edition, Oxford University Press, 2010.

Bohart Museum of Entomology: “Spider Bites.”

Texas A&M University: “Chiggers.”

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Insect bites

Gubarev Vladislav Vladimirovich
head of the allergological department,
allergologist-immunologist of the highest qualification category

Insect bites th trips to the country, walks in the parks.

But in addition to pleasant moments of communication with nature, the risk of being bitten or stung by various types of insects increases sharply, as a result of which various undesirable reactions from our body are possible.

All reactions can be conditionally divided into biting by blood-sucking insects and stinging by hymenoptera.

Most biting insects are diptera biting flies, midges, mosquitoes and bedbugs. Most often, local reactions develop on the bites of blood-sucking insects. Externally, the reaction is manifested by itching, redness of the skin, limited swelling, and the formation of a vesicle (small vesicle) is possible. Systemic allergic reactions are usually rare. It must be remembered that a number of blood-sucking insects are carriers of tick-borne encephalitis, borreliosis, leishmaniasis and other infectious diseases. There is also a risk of secondary infection, especially with persistent scratching. In such cases, consultation with an infectious disease specialist or surgeon may be necessary.

In contrast to biting insects, reactions to Hymenoptera stings are more likely to be truly allergic and more severe. Let’s get acquainted with the most prominent representatives of the Diptera order, familiar to all of us from childhood in their bright color: honey bee, bumblebee, wasp, hornet. Such a bright color warns in advance that the insect is poisonous. All reactions to hymenoptera venom can be divided into:

• local, manifested by burning and pain at the time of sting and further reddening of the skin, local swelling and severe pain.
• systemic allergic reactions (reactions of the whole body) are of varying severity, manifested by widespread itching of the skin, sudden rashes throughout the body, resembling a nettle burn or a mosquito bite, chills, fever. In more severe cases, there is a pronounced weakness, dizziness, vomiting, a feeling of suffocation. The extreme severity of an allergic reaction is anaphylactic shock. The severity of the local reaction may be minimal, and the systemic manifestations are extremely severe. It is also necessary to remember about the possibility of developing delayed reactions within the next 24 hours.

Any systemic reaction requires immediate medical attention.

In case of hymenoptera sting, it is recommended: cold at the site of sting, rest of the affected limb, then local use of ointments containing glucocorticosteroids.

In case of a sting in the head, neck, or any manifestations of a systemic allergic reaction, immediately seek medical attention.

Patients with a history of intolerance to hymenoptera venom should have a passport for patients with insect allergy, a set of emergency medicines (a memo, detailed instructions and a list of medicines can be obtained at the appointment with an allergist).

Measures to prevent stings include: eliminating nests of hornets, wasps near housing, closing windows and vents with mosquito nets, when a wasp appears nearby, bees do not make sudden movements, do not walk barefoot on the grass, avoid using perfume, avoid eating outdoors, do not visit apiaries, keep leftover food closed outside the house.

For all questions related to allergies to insect bites and stings, you can consult an allergist. Pre-registration by phone (499) 196-45-65.

Insect bites | Private clinic “Zdoroveyka”

August 3, 2021

Insects are one of the oldest groups of arthropods. This is the largest group of organisms currently living on Earth. There are more of them than other animals and plants combined. Since ancient times, man has suffered from their bites.

About 1000 people in Russia die every year from wasp and bee stings in the mucous membrane of the mouth and lips.

Mosquitoes

A mosquito bite is almost harmless. Multiple bites can lead to the development of allergic reactions, especially if children are sensitive to mosquito saliva. Children often comb mosquito bites and infect the wound, so purulent inflammation may develop.

Horseflies

They are found mainly near water bodies, you will not find them in the city. At the moment of the bite, a sharp burning sensation is felt, a blister appears with redness, which itches. A bite can be dangerous with an infection that a horsefly can pick up by sitting, for example, on animal excrement.

First aid for biting bloodsucking (mosquitoes, horseflies):

• Apply something cold to the bite.
• In order to relieve itching and swelling from a bite, rub the bite with a cotton swab or cloth moistened with any alcohol-containing tincture that is at hand: cologne, vodka, greenery, calendula tincture, even Corvalol or Valocordin. Slightly crushed fresh leaves of bird cherry or mint can help (they must be kept at the site of the bite for several minutes). You can rub the bite with green onions – the pain and itching will quickly disappear.
• Lubricate the bite site with arnica ointment, fenistil, etc.
• Give the child an age-appropriate dosage of an antihistamine: suprastin, claritin, erius, etc.
• It is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the child’s hands, cut his nails short.

These measures will significantly reduce the risk of infection of wounds during scratching.

Bees and bumblebees

Bees can only sting if provoked. Bumblebees rarely sting.

When bitten, a sharp pain and burning sensation is felt, a sting left (black) is visible in the wound. The venom causes severe swelling at the site of the bite. The affected area becomes red and hot.

A bee or bumblebee sting is dangerous with an allergic reaction. A bite to the head can be life threatening.

Wasps and hornets

The wasp and hornet can fly anywhere, and they often build their nests near human dwellings. Wasps and hornets are aggressive by nature, especially in autumn when their food supplies are depleted. Their sting does not have notches, does not get stuck in the body of the victim, and therefore wasps and hornets can sting repeatedly.

When bitten, there is a sharp pain and burning sensation, the skin around the wound swells up and becomes hot. Wasp stings are the most common cause of severe allergic reactions.

First aid for stinging insects (bees, bumblebees, wasps, hornets):

• Remove the stinger (bees) from the sting. You can not squeeze the sting, because the poison from the glands can additionally penetrate into the wound. Use tweezers if possible.
• Apply something cold to the bite.
• An age-appropriate antihistamine can be given to reduce itching.
• Exclude the possibility of overheating of the child, reduce physical activity.
• Apply an anti-bite patch (this will prevent scratching).
• Ointments based on arnica and calendula will help reduce swelling and itching. You can also make a compress with diluted apple cider vinegar or a paste of soda diluted with water, as well as clove oil, it repels insects and has an antibacterial effect. You can also grind a leaf of plantain or parsley.
• In case of severe pain and fever, give the child any antipyretic (paracetomol, cefecon, panadol, nurofen, etc.).
• Do not let children scratch the wound, no matter how hard it may be.

Seek medical attention if:

• The child has signs of a severe allergic reaction (urticaria, palpitations, headache, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath with difficulty exhaling, convulsions and loss of consciousness).
• Signs of infection appeared at the site of a single bite (increasing pain, swelling, redness, fever).
• There are more than 10-20 insect bites on the body of the victim, especially if the insect bite fell on the inside of the mouth, throat, eyeball.
• Previous insect bites have had an allergic reaction.

How to avoid insect bites?

Use insect repellants to protect your child from insect bites when outdoors. Today they can be selected for almost any age and in any form convenient for you – in the form of a gel, spray or cream. Before applying the remedy to the baby’s skin, be sure to check its tolerance (just spread on the bend of the elbow and wait a bit, if there is no redness, feel free to use the remedy).

When using repellent, avoid getting it on the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth of the child, and if this happens, rinse immediately with clean water. To remove preparations from lubricated areas of the skin, it is best to use hot water and soap.

Natural, but less effective insect repellents are scents of lemon, lavender, mint, cloves, tomato leaves, anise, cedar, eucalyptus, etc. Oils based on these scents can be added to special lamps to diffuse odors. A simple recipe: stuff lemon halves with cloves used in cooking and place them all over the room and especially in front of the window.

Do not use chemicals that are stuck into sockets, they poison the air and are therefore dangerous for small children. You can use an ultrasonic repeller.

Parents should know this!

• Bees, wasps and bumblebees often fly indoors in search of food, so cover windows and doors with nets. If you are in a car, make sure that the windows are closed.
• Bumblebees often use rodent burrows for their nest. Therefore, before you let your child barefoot on the grass in the garden, inspect the surface of the soil.
• Bees and wasps are attracted to the smell of flowers and rotting vegetables. Do not visit vegetable and flower markets with children, stay away from garbage containers.
• Bees, wasps, hornets very often build their nests near human dwellings. Try to find and remove them from the territory of your yard or summer cottage. Otherwise, you will be attacked by these insects more than once.
• Also, bees and wasps are attracted to the smell of sweets, so do not let children eat sweets (ice cream, sweets, watermelon, etc.