title: Tick removal.
abstract: Ticks are blood feeding external parasites which can cause local and systemic complications to human body. A lot of tick-borne human diseases include Lyme disease and virus encephalitis, can be transmitted by a tick bite. Also secondary bacterial skin infection, reactive manifestations against tick allergens, and granuloma's formation can be occurred. Tick paralysis is a relatively rare complication but it can be fatal. Except the general rules for tick bite prevention, any tick found should be immediately and completely removed alive. Furthermore, the tick removal technique should not allow or provoke the escape of infective body fluids through the tick into the wound site, and disclose any local complication. Many methods of tick removal (a lot of them are unsatisfactory and/or dangerous) have been reported in the literature, but there is very limited experimental evidence to support these methods. No technique will remove completely every tick. So, there is not an appropriate and absolutely effective and/or safe tick removal technique. Regardless of the used tick removal technique, clinicians should be aware of the clinical signs of tick-transmitted diseases, the public should be informed about the risks and the prevention of tick borne diseases, and persons who have undergone tick removal should be monitored up to 30 days for signs and symptoms.
authors.affiliation: stylroup@in.gr
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roupakias
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mitsakou
authors.forename: A Al
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nimer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000628:therapy*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005392:First Aid / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017592:Skin Care / Q000379:methods*; D013983:Tick Control / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000517:prevention & control; D013987:Ticks