RE: [MDOsprey] tick ID (?)_ after birding
Holmes, David (David.Holmes@mail.house.gov)
Thu, 15 Jul 1999 11:22:29 -0400
See your doctor, soon.
I'm told that the odds are 3-1 that "your" tick was not a carrier.
I had an encounter with one that turned the attachment point (right at the
waist line) black with a target-like pattern of red and white around it. I
never saw the tick - my first clue was the chills, followed by a rapidly
expanding red circle.
My doctor said an antibiotic was immediately necessary. Amoxicillin with
probenecid worked for me. I understand that Cefotaxime, a newer
cephalosporin, may be more effective (with more possible side effects).
Chills recurred at monthly intervals for two months.
I probably picked up the tick in our yard which had occasional deer visits;
Huntley Meadows has quite a herd.
> ----------
> From: Robert Weiner[SMTP:rweiner@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu]
> Sent: Thursday, July 15, 1999 4:05 AM
> To: mdosprey; birdchat
> Subject: [MDOsprey] tick ID (?)_ after birding
>
> cybirders,
>
> can anyone provide advice regarding possible a deer tick found after
> birding? I birded the Huntley Meadows area (hardwood forest, fresh-water
> marsh) in Northern VA on saturday, and tonight removed what looked like a
> deer tick. I've never seen one, but it is about the size and color of a
> pencil point, metallic dark gray.
>
> After removal (which was easy), the tick (?) walked away, leaving a small
> bump that itched mildly like a mosquito bite. Inspection revealed two
> more such bumps, about 1 cm apart. My experience is limited to dog ticks,
> which never walk away after removal, which usually entails killing them.
>
> Should I be concerned about lyme disease? Is there anywhere I can find
> out about its incidence in the area? What should I look out for? Can the
> tick (which I put in a plastic container) itself provide any useful info?
>
> I had experienced some severe, brief chills a few hours before finding it,
> which for me is unusual in summer, but had attributed them to either an
> incipient cold or the unseasonably cool weather here the last few days
> (75-80, rather than 85-90)!_
>
> I suppose the tick could have come from my yard, which is highly urban,
> but the nearest deer (and fox) are only about a mile away, in Rock Creek
> park, and squirrels are abundant, raccoons, skunks, and opossums
> occasional.
>
> Any advice would be appreciated. thanks, and sorry for any cross-posting.
>
> Robert Weiner (rweiner@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu)
> George Washington University
> Washington DC 20052
> 202 994 5981
>