Safely twisting a stuck tick out of the skin is a fairly simple procedure that does not require any special skills or dexterity. For a person who often visits the wild in a region where there are a lot of these parasites, such removal generally turns into an ordinary routine: sometimes in one day spent hunting or hiking, you have to remove several dozen stuck ticks from yourself and colleagues. With proper experience, the process is brought to automatism - in just half a minute, an experienced person can unscrew the tick with a well-practiced movement, even in the absence of special devices (pliers).
On a note
It is often possible to observe how experienced hunters, fishermen or tourists extract ticks in a completely different way than doctors or entomologists recommend doing it to untrained people. From the outside, it may seem that a person simply tears off the parasite from the skin, without even trying to twist it. And interestingly, everything happens quickly, painlessly and safely (no head of the parasite remains in the skin).
However, if there is not enough experience and acquired skills, it is necessary to remove the stuck tick from the skin according to a certain method, observing precautions.This extraction ensures that the tick is not torn apart and no part of its body is left in the skin.
Next, we will see how to twist the tick correctly and why the myth is widespread that it must be twisted clockwise, and not counterclockwise. In addition, we will consider what devices can be used to significantly facilitate the process of extracting the parasite (including from hard-to-reach places) and how to assess the likelihood of infection with tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis ...
The main rule for extracting ticks: twist, but do not pull
The specificity of the structure of the head and mouth apparatus of the tick is such that when sucked, it is most reliably protected precisely from tearing it away from the host's body. This is the biological meaning of the complex anatomy of the gnatosome (the same head with the mouth organs) - its structure is such that having had time to stick, the parasite will definitely not fall from the host's body, even with intentional shaking. The more reliably the tick is fixed in the skin, the more chances it has to fully feed, and then give rise to offspring.
See also article about the structure of the mouth apparatus of the tick and about how it works during a bite.
The parasite is less protected from twisting (few of its wild hosts are able to capture the body of the tick and rotate it several revolutions around the axis). Therefore, pliers, in fact, do not have mechanisms for protecting against twisting movement due to their uselessness.
But from a simple separation, they are well protected:
- The fingers of the chelicerae on the hypostome (proboscis) after eruption of the skin are placed apart and burst here, preventing the extraction of the parasite;
- The liquid salivary secret enveloping the mite's proboscis solidifies in the wound, forming a cemented case. This case is quite firmly fixed in the wound, since in its lower part it spreads in the dermal layer of the skin and also forms a strong structure here, which has a greater width than the hole made in the skin. The outer walls of the case initially "spread" over the intercellular space, and when solidified, they are practically built into the skin;
- Additionally, the hypostome, like a harpoon, is firmly fixed due to the presence of many notches on its surface.
The image shows the layout of the oral apparatus of the tick in the skin when feeding:
As a result, in order to pull the tick out of the skin, one must either destroy the connection between the notches on the hypostome and the case, or “break” the case itself.
In fact, the strength of the point of articulation of the head of the tick with the body is lower than the strength of the adhesion of the hypostome to the case being cemented and the strength of the case itself. This means that if such a sheath has formed and is already cemented, then when trying to tear off a biting parasite, its gnathosoma with the sheath is highly likely to come off the body and remain in the skin.
On the other hand, if the tick is gently unscrewed, the notches on the hypostome will simply scratch off part of the cement sheath, and after 2-3 revolutions, the mouthparts of the parasite will move quite easily in this sheath. The clutch with the case is broken, and the proboscis can be easily removed from the skin - this is the basis for the principle of twisting the parasite.
This is what the proboscis of a tick looks like under a microscope:
On a note
At the same time, rocking the tick from side to side is ineffective. The fact is that the articulation of its head with the body is movable, and the swinging of the idiosome only leads to the movement of the body of the parasite in the place of this articulation.In this case, no significant displacements of the proboscis in the case or the case in the skin occur, and, consequently, the hooking of the parasite does not weaken, and pulling it out of the skin will be just as unsafe as without preliminary rocking.
There are a few more nuances that are useful to know about for a better understanding of the method of twisting ticks, as well as explaining why, in some cases, parasites can be quite safely pulled out of the skin (without twisting at the same time).
First: not all ticks form a case of congealing saliva when they bite, and of those in which it is formed, it is not always reliable.
So, for example, in the most common ticks in Russia (and the most dangerous vectors of tick-borne encephalitis - canine and taiga tick), as well as in the notorious Australian paralytic tick, females do not form such a case, but are kept in the cut wound only due to the skin tone, which is tightly compressed around the hypostome with teeth, as if capturing it. Pulling out the proboscis in this case is easier than from a hardened case.
The picture below shows the jaws of a female taiga tick when feeding (in this case, there is no case between the skin and the hypostome):
On a note
Representatives of some other types of ticks, after drilling a hole in the skin, remove the proboscis from it, and then suck blood and inflammatory infiltrate, simultaneously introducing anticoagulant enzymes here and preventing the wound from dragging on. They form a case on the surface of the skin of the victim, and although it allows you to hold the tick, tearing off the parasite with the case itself is very simple.
Second, the sheath around the proboscis of the parasite is completely formed and hardens approximately 30-50 minutes after biting into the skin.During this time, pulling out the tick is quite simple, and the likelihood that it will not be completely removed (with the separation of the mouth organs) is small.
And, finally, the third: in small tick nymphs, the case and the mouth organs themselves are relatively small, and their strength is lower than the strength of the articulation of the gnathosoma with the idiosome (torso). Therefore, immature individuals are most often completely safely pulled out even without twisting.
On a note
In practice, it is usually impossible to say in advance how firmly the tick is firmly fixed in the skin of a person, dog or cat, whether a case has formed in it, and how deep it is in the skin. Neither the type of tick nor the stage of its development can be determined by a non-specialist by eye. Therefore, for maximum safety of the victim, it is better to carefully unscrew any sucked tick, and not tear it off.
How to properly unscrew the parasite
The main task when twisting the tick is to rotate its mouthparts in the skin or in the cement case. This is not the same as rotating the body of a parasite, which is easy to grasp even with your fingers - if you try to rotate the body, you can easily “unscrew” it from the head, which will remain in the wound.
To twist the mouth apparatus of the tick, you need to rotate its head. This is often difficult to do, since the body of the fed parasite is much larger than the head and makes it difficult to grasp it, and in some species the head is completely immersed in the skin during the bite.
In addition, in small nymphs, the head is so small that it is almost impossible to capture it without special devices.In such situations, when twisting the tick, special tick extractors (tick makers) are very helpful, which allow you to capture the gnathosoma.
For more information about such devices, see a separate article: Devices for removing ticks: choosing an effective twister.
The photo below shows the structure of the tick gnathosoma - its head and mouth organs:
Practice shows that after capturing the head of the tick and turning it for several turns, the engagement of the jaws in the skin weakens so much that the parasite falls out on its own with little or no pulling it up (you can turn it both clockwise and counterclockwise).
Thus, the whole tick-twisting technology comes down to three simple points:
- With any device, you need to capture the head of the parasite under the body, as close to the skin as possible;
- Rotate the parasite 2-3 full turns;
- Then it is very easy to pull up, check if the proboscis is removed from the skin. If it comes out, take it out, and if it doesn’t come out, make it a couple more turns.
On a note
In most cases, it is not even necessary to pull the tick after a few turns, as it falls out on its own. This is partly due to the fact that when turning, a person involuntarily pulls the parasite up, which is enough to detach it. Also, due to the fact that some devices literally rest against the tick from below (from the side of the skin), they themselves push the tick as soon as its fixation in the skin weakens.
As noted above, it is completely indifferent in which direction to unscrew the tick: there is no specific “thread” on its proboscis (it is symmetrical), it turns in both directions with the same effort and falls out equally quickly, no matter where it is rotated.
However, in practice, in most cases, the tick is twisted clockwise. This is due to the fact that mostly people manipulate the pliers with their right hand, and it is more convenient to turn it from the thumb to the index finger - this way the angle of rotation is greater at a time. Rotation in this case is clockwise.
Not surprisingly, in almost all instructions and videos about twisting the tick, it spins exactly clockwise (when viewed from above, from the observer), and with the right hand. The audience may involuntarily get a misleading impression that only in this direction the tick needs to be twisted. This is not true: you can twist in any direction, the main thing is to rotate in only one direction.
Tools for twisting pincers
It is most convenient and fastest to pull out ticks with special devices, the design of which is specially designed to solve this problem.
The most common version of such a product is a pliers hook. The photo below shows this classic instrument:
It can be seen that the lower part of it is expanded and bifurcated. It is this part of the tick that is picked up under the body, its head falls exactly into the gap and is fixed by it.
Due to the fixation of the head, the rotation of the hook leads to the rotation of the entire parasite, including its mouth apparatus in the wound. After 2-3 full rotations, the tick falls out of the skin and remains in the ticker.
These hooks are available under different brands and may vary slightly in shape.Known, for example, are Uniclean Tick Twister (France), Trixie Tick Remover (Germany), Rolf Club 3D (Russia), as well as unnamed Chinese-made products.
All such devices have several common advantages:
- Due to the long handle, they allow you to pull the tick not only from the skin of a person, but also from the hair of a dog or cat, and quite long;
- Low price (on average they cost about 150-200 rubles);
- Such devices are very durable and reliable - there is practically nothing to break in them.
In addition to hooks, there are other pliers on sale:
- Flat key extractors in which the tick is captured by a groove in the inner hole. Their advantage is that they have a flat shape and are conveniently worn in a wallet or on a keychain. However, due to the need to rotate the entire key around the axis, they do not allow removing ticks in narrow hard-to-reach places (for example, between the fingers or from the ear);
- Tick-removal spoons are plastic items that look like small spoons with a cut-out in a ladle. They are convenient because the pulled out parasite remains on the scoop, and it is convenient to immediately transfer it to a test tube in order to deliver it for analysis later. The disadvantages of spoons are the same as those of flat extractors;
- Lasso handles in which the tick is fixed in a loop of fishing line or thin wire. They allow you to pull out ticks even from hard-to-reach places, but it can sometimes be difficult to throw the loop on the parasite itself (especially if this is done on an animal - for example, a puppy or kitten is unlikely to sit still). In addition, the downside is that the design itself, due to the presence of several moving elements, is not reliable enough and can break down on a hike;
- Special pens-tweezers, in which the tweezers are unclenched when the cap is pressed and compressed when it is released. In terms of their advantages and disadvantages, they are quite similar to lasso handles.
Separately, it should be said about the removal of ticks from hard-to-reach places - for example, when the parasite sticks in the auricle, in the groin or between the fingers. Not all ticks are able to help here ...
Removal of the attached parasite in difficult places: in the ears, between the fingers, in the groin
The principle of removing ticks in difficult places remains the same as in other cases - the parasite must be twisted (no matter which way) until it falls out of the skin on its own. But given the specifics of individual areas on the body, in some cases this process has nuances.
One of the most difficult tasks is removing ticks between the toes of pets. Firstly, it is quite difficult to get to the parasite here, and secondly, here the tick is almost impossible to unscrew with most devices.
If the tick has stuck between the fingers of a person or a large dog, then it can be hooked and unscrewed with a lasso handle, since the fingers can be spaced wide enough to fit this tool between them. If there is no special lasso pen for removing ticks, then you can unscrew the parasite using a regular thread (this will be written below).
Fortunately, ticks rarely stick between the fingers.
A more common option is mites in the ears of a dog. In dogs with cropped ears, parasites cling directly to the edge of the ear. From here, they can be easily removed with any device, but from the auricle itself, the bloodsucker can only be unscrewed with a tweezer pen or a lasso pen.In this case, great care must be taken so that in case of an accidental sharp movement of the animal, the handle does not damage the pet's ear.
Finally, the situation is not so rare when a tick sticks in a person between the buttocks, on the back, on the back of the neck, on the back of the head. That is, where it will be problematic for the victim himself to unscrew the parasite.
The easiest way to remove the tick in this case is to have another person do it. In a camping trip, fishing or hunting, this is the norm if there is a partner nearby. If a person is alone, then often the only way out for him is to simply try to pull out the parasite, but do it as carefully as possible, trying to somehow twist it with your fingers, pull it in different directions, and when pulling it out, pull it slowly, without making jerks.
In many cases, removing ticks from dogs and cats is also not easy - if only because the animal either wants to run and does not sit still (and therefore, one hand of the owner is busy holding the pet), or the animal has learned bitter experience of constant painful pulling out of ticks and simply does not allow this to be done, removing his head and running away. If at home it is not possible to safely carry out the procedure, then it is better to consult a veterinarian.
The photo below just shows a non-standard case of tick suction (in the dog's mouth):
If there is no ticker at hand ...
Even despite the great popularity of devices for extracting ticks, in practice, often neither the victims nor the people nearby have these devices at hand.
In such situations, the simplest "twist" can be made with your own hands from available materials:
- From a thread - this is the easiest and most affordable option. To do this, a segment of any thin thread more than 10 cm long is sufficient. In the middle, it folds into a loop, pounces on the tick, and a simple single knot is made on it, which is pulled around the head of the parasite. Then both ends of the thread are clamped together between the fingers and the rubbing movements of the fingers are rotated, alternately intercepting one or the other hand. When the ends of the threads twist tightly around each other, they will begin to twist the tick, and it will fall out;
- A cut is made from a stick with a knife or scissors to get a flat end, a narrowing gap is made in it, and then the tick is removed with the resulting tool, like a flat extractor;
- Tweezers from a manicure set or first aid kit. Here it is important to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible in order to pinch not its body, but the head, and more importantly, rotate the tweezers so as not to loosen the grip. Otherwise, when the tweezers are opened, the tick will “unwind” in the opposite direction (besides, it can be accidentally crushed during the next capture).
Finally, if there are no tools at hand at all, then you can try to unscrew the tick by grabbing it under the body with your nails (this is not always easy to do). In the vast majority of cases, the bloodsucker is removed entirely from the skin.
You should not be especially afraid that when pressing on the tick, the blood sucked out earlier (and even more so, the insides infected with pathogens of tick-borne encephalitis or borreliosis) will be squeezed out of the parasite back into the wound. The probability of this is extremely low: the integument of the tick's body is quite strong, and the esophagus works like a reliable check valve.With strong squeezing, the body of the parasite, in the worst case, will burst with splashing of the contents, but the blood itself will not be squeezed into the wound.
On a note
The longer the tick sucks blood, the stronger it is fixed in the skin. As noted above, the cement case hardens gradually, within half an hour to an hour, and it takes some time to release a sufficient amount of saliva for it. That is, if the parasite was found in the skin within the first hour after suction, then it is likely to be completely easy and safe to pull out.
In addition, it should be borne in mind that the longer the parasite sucks blood, the more infectious agents it can inject into the wound along with its saliva.
Trying to remove the tick by lubricating it with vegetable oil or burning it with a match is useless. For each individual to cling to the victim is a chance that falls literally several times in a lifetime. If the parasite is not fully fed, unhooks from the victim and falls, then it is highly likely to die without leaving offspring, since there are not so many chances to wait for a new victim. Therefore, it is so biologically incorporated that the tick can tolerate any “bullying”, but it will not unhook itself from the skin. Neither oil nor other methods of depriving him of oxygen will force the owner to let go until he is completely saturated.
The likelihood of infection with tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis
If a tick has stuck in an epidemiologically disadvantaged area for tick-borne infections, then it can infect a person with deadly infections - tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme borreliosis, or some more rare ones. Pets can contract the life-threatening piroplasmosis, as well as the less dangerous spotted fever, ehrlichiosis, and other infections.
The likelihood of infection can vary greatly, depending on the region in which the tick attacked the person. So, if a region is considered dangerous for tick-borne encephalitis, then the probability of contracting the disease is no more than 0.24%, that is, out of 10,000 bites in the most dangerous regions, only 24 end in the development of the disease. In regions with a low risk of infection, this figure is even lower.
The infection itself is transmitted through the saliva of the bloodsucker - it is in the salivary glands that pathogens accumulate that enter the wound when secreted by the tick. This happens already in the first minutes after the parasite has been drilled into the skin, and therefore if the tick has stuck, then the person or animal could already receive a portion of the pathogens. Whether this happened or not is difficult to immediately establish, but measures to prevent the development of the disease in some cases must be taken immediately.
In general, the likelihood of infection from a sucking tick depends on several factors:
- From the concentration of infected ticks in a particular region. The most dangerous such regions in Russia are, for example, the Tomsk region, the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Altai and the Far East;
- From the number of ticks that have stuck to a person (some hunters remove dozens of parasites from themselves after a running day);
- From the presence of immunity in the bitten (including immunity formed tick-borne encephalitis vaccination).
On a note
While the tick has not stuck, it cannot infect a person. Through simple skin contact and movement, it does not transmit infectious agents.
Thus, any tick that appears on the skin or clothing is highly desirable to be detected and removed before suction.To do this, when walking in places where a parasite can be encountered, you should check your pants, clothes and legs every 20-30 minutes - most ticks in this case will be removed before they have time to dig into the skin and start sucking blood.
The tick was removed. What's next?
Immediately after removing the tick, it is highly desirable to treat the remaining wound with a solution of some kind of antiseptic - iodine, brilliant green, hydrogen peroxide. This to a small extent reduces the likelihood of infection with tick-borne infections, but above all, it reduces the risk of wound suppuration due to the ingress of third-party pathogens into it.
In a region dangerous for tick-borne encephalitis, a person without vaccination should take the removed tick for analysis to a special laboratory. The addresses and phone numbers of such laboratories are known in hospitals and emergency rooms.
The tick after twisting should be placed in a hermetically sealed container (for example, in a jar, in extreme cases - in a bag, which is then tied up) and taken to the laboratory as soon as possible. Even if it suddenly turned out that the twisted parasite died (or was crushed when pulled out), it is still worth taking it for analysis - pathogens can be detected within 2-3 days after the death of the parasite.
If the bite occurred in a region dangerous for TBE, it is advisable for a person without vaccination in the first few hours after the incident to carry out emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis - injections with the introduction into the body of a serum containing antibodies to the causative virus (see more about the application anti-tick immunoglobulin with tick bites). Even if infection has occurred, such prevention is highly likely to protect against the development of the disease and its severe consequences.Emergency TBE prophylaxis is carried out in most public hospitals, it is only important to go there within the first 3 days after the bite.
If it is impossible to pass a tick for analysis or carry out emergency prophylaxis, you need to carefully monitor the condition of the victim. If, within 2-3 weeks, the person begins to develop a fever, develops a fever, develops pain in the head, or characteristic pink spots in the form of rings appear around the bite site, then the person should be taken to the hospital as soon as possible. The sooner he is treated, the more chances he will have to survive and not become disabled.
If you have personal experience of extracting stuck ticks, be sure to share the information by leaving your feedback at the bottom of this page.
An interesting video: how to easily and safely pull out a tick
Many examples of extracting a tick with a ticker
Very useful article, detailed and well described.