Re: [MDOsprey] tick ID (?)_ after birding
Leslie Roslund (Lroslund@bluecrab.org)
Thu, 15 Jul 1999 09:51:42 -0400
Robert - If your deer tick was not more deeply embedded than what you
describe, then you should have very few worries about Lyme Disease. Most
reports of Lyme Disease transmission from deer ticks indicate that the tick
must be chewing away on the victim for 24 hours or more to make the
transmission. After 24 hours of fluid exchanges, the tick would be nicely
swollen with your blood, and much more deeply embedded than you described.
The one you picked off sounds like a fairly recent arrival upon your skin,
despite the great time lag between your Huntley Meadows trip and your email
posting. Either that tick was crawling around in clothing for most of the
time, or it actually came from closer to your home.
Over here on the Eastern Shore there are several places where the deer
ticks are so abundant that many birders have to take heroic action to
prevent their attacks. I personally have had several brief attachments of
deer ticks each season, all of them very much like the one that you
described. My skin type is fairly tender and sensitive, and I' m over 60
so the recuperative processes may be slowing some; anyhow, the bites I get
remain like a red mosquito bite for a week or so; some grow slightly larger
and develop a fairly hard but small lump. Then the pain fades away, and
the spot, though visible, remains for several weeks. I have one on my left
arm that I am keeping watch on right now.
Lyme Disease symptoms, if any, would not show up for several weeks,
perhaps a month or more, and it could be longer than that. Not a pretty
description, but that is what occurs. Your recollection of chills before
finding the critter can be attributed to something else - way too early for
consequences of that tick bite.
Hope this has been of interest and of some help.
Les Roslund
Lroslund@bluecrab.org
Easton MD