People for ticks a wrong decision

Ticks are dangerous bloodsuckers, but man is a wrong decision for the arachnid

10/04/2012

Some people are more likely to be bitten by ticks than others who are rarely or never visited by arachnids. The reason for this is still a mystery. Experts suspect that the smell plays a role in this. However, contact with a human usually has little benefit for the tick. If she gets into heated rooms, she probably dies after a short time.

The smell may play a big role for ticks
Ticks normally respond to three different stimuli in a host animal: heat, movement and chemotactic factors, which include above all fragrances, explains Christine Klaus from the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI) in Jena to the news agency "dapd". Although the tick is not dangerous, it can transmit severe illnesses such as TBE or Lyme disease, so vigilance is required in any case. While there are vaccinations against TBE, only precautions such as wearing long trousers and tick repellents protect against Lyme disease. Ticks have been around for many centuries, says Klaus, a scientist at the National Reference Laboratory for Tick-borne Diseases at the FLI. "You have to deal with the ticks as you would with any other risk."

The contact with humans is usually not beneficial for ticks. If they get into the dwelling of humans, they die quickly due to the lack of humidity. "Humans are a wrong decision for the tick," explains Klaus. Also, contact with pets, which could also be infected with Lyme disease and TBE, is often fatal to the ticks for similar reasons.

Ticks survive harsh winters
To survive, the arachnids require high humidity, sufficient host animals for their blood meal, which include hedgehogs, foxes, mice and other forest mammals, as well as certain temperatures. Ticks survive frost to minus 20 degrees. Their activity increases but only from five to six degrees plus.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has identified certain risk areas for the TBE agent. These include, above all, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and some regions in southern Hesse, Thuringia and Rhineland-Palatinate. Susanne Glasmacher, spokeswoman for the RKI, explains that the number of TBE cases has remained relatively stable in recent years. In 2005, 432 and 2006 infected 546 people. In 2007, there were 239 people affected and in 2008, 289 cases were registered. 313 illnesses occurred in 2009. In the years 2010 and 2011, 260 or 423 people contracted FSME.

Since Lyme disease is not a notifiable disease in most states, there are no corresponding exact figures for this disease. Between 2004 and 2010, 4,000 to 6,000 cases of Borreliosis were reported to the RKI in eastern Germany. Experts, however, expect a much higher number of unreported cases, since the disease, which usually affects the nervous system, is often diagnosed late.

No vaccine against Lyme disease
While there is a vaccine against TBE, there is no vaccine against Lyme disease. It is estimated that five to 40 percent of ticks can be affected by Borrelia. In addition, an existing infection does not protect against new infections.

Klaus cautiously rejects the rumor that ticks have spread considerably due to climate change. Such a statement can not be made clearly. According to Swedish studies, it may have spread northwards. Scientists from the Czech Republic discovered the arachnids at a height of 1,000 meters. Klaus adds that there are no reliable data from previous years. Therefore, it can not be clearly established whether the number of ticks has increased overall.

Precautions to protect against ticks
Against tick bites is loud statement of Prof. Dr. Ute Mackenstedt, director of the first Southern German "tick congress", recommended body-covering clothing with tight cuffs on trouser legs, socks and sleeves. Strollers could also pull their socks over their pants to deny the tiny bloodsuckers access to the free skin. After a stay outdoors or a trip to nature, the whole body should be thoroughly searched for ticks, advises the expert. If a tick ticks on the body, remove it as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of infection. Within the first 24 hours after the bite, only a few pathogens can be transmitted. To remove the arachnids a tweezers or a so-called ticks tongs is used. With the often used supposed home remedies such as glue or oil to suffocate the animal, but here is not the desired effect to achieve, explains the expert on. In this way, only the risk of infection is increased because the ticks emptying their stomach contents in the puncture wound and thereby more bacteria and viruses reach the human body. (Ag)

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