How to recognize the symptoms of an encephalitis tick bite? Encephalitis tick - how does a dangerous virus manifest itself? Signs after an encephalitis tick bite

Everyone is afraid of tick bites, because everyone knows about the possible dangerous consequences of such a short meeting with a blood-sucking insect. In addition to an unpleasant sensation, a tick bite threatens to become infected with a viral infection - tick-borne encephalitis, the outcome of which is very sad.

What is this infection - tick-borne encephalitis virus? How does the disease caused by it manifest? Is it possible to cure this disease and what complications threaten the patient? What does the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis consist of?

What is tick-borne encephalitis

Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral natural focal infection that is transmitted after tick bites and mainly affects the central nervous system. The causative agent of tick-borne encephalitis belongs to the Flavivirus family of viruses, which are transmitted by arthropods.

This disease has many clinical manifestations. Scientists have long tried to study the disease, but only in the first half of the 20th century (in 1935) were they able to identify the causative agent of tick-borne encephalitis. A little later, it was possible to fully describe the virus, the diseases it causes, and how the human body reacts to it.

This virus has the following features:

it reproduces in vectors, the mite is a reservoir in nature;
the tick-borne encephalitis virus is tropen, or, in other words, tends to the nervous tissue;
active reproduction begins in the spring-summer period from the moment of "awakening" of ticks and tick-borne encephalitis;
the virus does not live long without a host, it is quickly destroyed by ultraviolet radiation;
when heated to 60 ° C, it is destroyed in 10 minutes, boiling kills the pathogen of tick-borne encephalitis in just two minutes;
he does not like chlorine-containing solutions and lysol.

How does infection with tick-borne encephalitis occur?

Ixodid ticks are the main reservoir and source of infection. How does the tick-borne encephalitis virus enter the insect's body? 5-6 days after the bite of an infected animal in a natural focus, the pathogen penetrates into all organs of the tick and concentrates mainly in the reproductive and digestive systems, salivary glands. There, the virus remains for the entire life cycle of the insect, which is from two to four years. And all this time, after being bitten by a tick of an animal or person, tick-borne encephalitis is transmitted.

Absolutely every inhabitant of the area where outbreaks of infection are observed can become infected. These statistics are disappointing for humans.

Depending on the region, the number of infected ticks ranges from 1-3% to 15-20%.
Any animals can be a natural reservoir of infection: hedgehogs, moles, chipmunks, squirrels and voles, and about 130 other mammalian species.
According to epidemiological data, tick-borne encephalitis is widespread from Central Europe to Eastern Russia.
Some bird species are also possible vectors - hazel grouses, finches, blackbirds.
There are known cases of infection with human tick-borne encephalitis after drinking milk from tick-infected domestic animals.
The first peak of the disease is recorded in May-June, the second at the end of summer.

Ways of transmission of tick-borne encephalitis: transmissible, during a bite by an infected tick, and alimentary - after eating contaminated foods.

The action of the tick-borne encephalitis virus in the human body

The place of frequent localization of the causative agent of the disease in the body of the insect is the digestive system, the reproductive apparatus and the salivary glands. How does the tick-borne encephalitis virus behave after it enters the human body? The pathogenesis of tick-borne encephalitis can be described as follows.

During the course, the disease is conditionally divided into several periods. The initial phase proceeds without visible clinical manifestations. Further, the phase of neurological changes begins. It is characterized by typical clinical manifestations of the disease with damage to all parts of the nervous system.

The outcome of tick-borne encephalitis is in the form of three main options:

recovery with gradual long-term recovery;
the transition of the disease to a chronic form;
death of a person infected with tick-borne encephalitis.

The first signs of tick-borne encephalitis

The first days are the easiest and at the same time dangerous with the development of the disease. Lungs - since there are no clinical manifestations of the disease yet, there is no hint of the development of infection. Dangerous - because due to the lack of obvious signs, time can be lost and encephalitis will develop with full force.

The incubation period of tick-borne encephalitis sometimes reaches 21 days, but on average lasts from 10 days to two weeks. If the virus enters through contaminated products, it is shortened and is only a few days (no more than 7).

In about 15% of cases, after a short incubation period, prodromal phenomena are observed, but they are nonspecific, it is difficult to suspect this particular disease from them.

The first signs of tick-borne encephalitis appear:

weakness and fatigue;
various options for sleep disturbance;
a feeling of numbness of the skin of the face or trunk may develop;
one of the common signs of tick-borne encephalitis is various variants of radicular pain, in other words, unrelated pain appears along the nerves extending from the spinal cord - in the arms, legs, shoulders and other parts;
already at this stage of tick-borne encephalitis, mental disorders are possible, when an absolutely healthy person begins to behave unusually.

Tick-borne encephalitis symptoms

From the moment the tick-borne encephalitis virus enters the blood, the symptoms of the disease become more pronounced.

During examination of a person, the doctor discovers the following changes in the condition:

in the acute period of tick-borne encephalitis, the face, skin of the neck and body are reddened, the eyes are injected (hyperemic);
blood pressure decreases, the heartbeat becomes rare, changes appear on the cardiogram, indicating a violation of conduction;
during the height of tick-borne encephalitis, breathing becomes more frequent and shortness of breath appears at rest, sometimes doctors register signs of developing pneumonia;
the tongue is coated with a white coating, as with a lesion of the digestive system, bloating and constipation appear.

Forms of tick-borne encephalitis course

Depending on the location of the pathogen in the central nervous system of a person, various symptoms of the course of the disease may appear. An experienced manifestation specialist can guess which area of the nervous system has been attacked by the virus.

There are various forms of tick-borne encephalitis.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis of tick-borne encephalitis, as a rule, is delayed due to the blurred initial clinical picture. Patients in the first days of the disease complain of general symptoms, so the doctor directs the person to general clinical examinations.

What can be found in a general blood test? The level of neutrophils in the blood rises and the ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) is accelerated. It is already possible to suspect about brain damage. Along with this, there is a decrease in glucose in the blood test, and protein appears in the urine. But on the basis of only these analyzes, it is still difficult to conclude about the presence of any disease.

Other research methods help to finally determine the diagnosis.

The virological method for detecting tick-borne encephalitis is the detection or isolation of the virus from the blood or cerebrospinal fluid during the first week of the disease, followed by infection of laboratory mice.
More accurate and rapid serological blood tests RSC, ELISA, RPGA, take paired blood serum of a sick person with an interval of 2-3 weeks.

It is important to fully collect information about the development of the disease before starting the examination. Already at this stage, a diagnosis can be assumed.

The consequences of tick-borne encephalitis

Recovery from tick-borne encephalitis can be lengthy for several months.

The European form of the disease is an exception, cure occurs quickly without minimal residual effects, but late initiation of treatment can complicate the disease and in 1–2% of cases is fatal.

As for other forms of the disease, the prognosis here is not so favorable. The fight against the consequences sometimes lasts from three weeks to four months.

The consequences of tick-borne encephalitis in humans include all kinds of neurological and psychiatric complications. They are observed in 10–20% of cases. For example, if during the course of the disease a person had a decrease in immunity, this will lead to persistent paresis and paralysis.

In practice, there were lightning-fast forms of tick-borne encephalitis, leading to lethal complications during the first days of the onset of the disease. The number of deaths ranges from 1 to 25%, depending on the option. The Far Eastern type of the disease is accompanied by the maximum number of irreversible consequences and deaths.

In addition to the severe course and unusual forms of the disease, there are complications of tick-borne encephalitis related to other organs and systems:

pneumonia;
heart failure.

Sometimes there is a recurrent course of the disease.

Treatment

Tick-borne encephalitis is one of the most severe ailments, its course is never mild and is almost always accompanied by numerous symptoms. Treatment of tick-borne encephalitis is complicated by the lack of drugs that could affect the pathogen. That is, there are no specific drugs that can kill this virus.

Treatment is guided by the principle of symptom relief. Therefore, funds are mainly prescribed to maintain the body:

use hormonal drugs or glucocorticosteroids as an anti-shock treatment for tick-borne encephalitis and to combat respiratory failure;
to relieve seizures, magnesium preparations and sedatives are prescribed;
for detoxification, an isotonic solution and glucose are used;
after the acute phase of tick-borne encephalitis subsides, B vitamins, antihistamines are used.

And also against tick-borne encephalitis, human immunoglobulin is used. It is obtained from the blood plasma of donors. Timely administration of this medication contributes to an easy course of the disease and a quick recovery.

Immunoglobulin is used according to the following scheme:

the drug is prescribed from 3 to 12 ml for the first three days;
in the case of a severe course of the disease, immunoglobulin is used twice a day with an interval of 12 hours, 6–12 ml each, after three days the drug is used only once;
if the body temperature rises again, the drug is prescribed again in the same dose.

Disease prevention

Prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is non-specific and specific. The first reduces the likelihood of contact with the carrier of the infection:

in order not to become infected with tick-borne encephalitis, you need to reduce the likelihood of tick sucking during walks in nature from April to June, that is, use repellents;
when working in nature in foci of spread of infection, it is recommended to wear closed clothes even in summer, to cover open areas of the body as much as possible;
after returning from the forest, it is necessary to carefully examine the clothes and ask someone close to examine the body;
a non-specific measure for the prevention of tick-borne encephalitis in one's own area is mowing tall grass in spring and summer, using chemicals to scare away ticks.

What to do if a tick was found after walking on the body? It is necessary to remove it as soon as possible, so the likelihood of the pathogen entering the human blood will decrease. It is recommended not to throw the insect away, but to bring it to the laboratory and conduct an analysis for tick-borne encephalitis. In a hospital or a paid laboratory, a blood-sucking insect is examined for the presence of a pathogen. A method of infecting laboratory animals with a virus isolated from a tick is used. Even a small fragment is enough to make a diagnosis. And they also use a faster method for examining an insect - PCR diagnostics. If the presence of the pathogen in the tick is established, the person is urgently sent for emergency prevention of the disease.

There are two main ways to protect a person from the development of an ailment: on an emergency basis and in a planned manner.

Emergency prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is carried out after contact with a tick. It can be started even before the fact of establishing the infection of the insect. Immunoglobulin is used in a standard dose - 3 ml for adults, and for children 1.5 ml intramuscularly. The drug is prescribed as a preventive treatment for encephalitis for all those who are not vaccinated against the infection. 10 days after the first dose, the drug is re-administered, but in a double dose.
Planned specific prevention of tick-borne encephalitis is the use of a vaccine against the pathogen. It is used by everyone living in areas with high incidence rates. The vaccination can be done according to epidemic indications one month before the spring season of ticks awakening.

It is planned to vaccinate against tick-borne encephalitis not only residents of infected places, but also visitors, in the event of a business trip to a dangerous, in terms of morbidity, zone.

Today there are two main options for vaccines: tissue inactivated and live, but weakened. They are used twice with repeated revaccination. But none of the available drugs protects against tick-borne encephalitis for a long time.

Is tick-borne encephalitis virus dangerous today during the active development of the preventive branch of medicine? For many years to come, the causative agent of the disease will be classified as life-threatening. There are all the prerequisites for this - a huge number of animal carriers in nature, their distribution over a large territory, the absence of specific treatment for all forms of the disease. From all this, only one correct conclusion follows - it is necessary to carry out timely prevention of tick-borne encephalitis through vaccination.

Tick-borne encephalitis is a viral infection caused by the Flavivirus, the causative agent of the arbovirus. It affects the membranes of the brain and spinal cord, which leads to permanent disorders of the neurological and mental functions of the body and can be fatal. The causative agent of the infection is transmitted through the saliva of the tick during the bite directly into the human blood, and it spreads through it throughout the body, where it begins to actively progress. The tick itself, as you already understood, is not dangerous, but through bitten wild animals it becomes a carrier of infection for life and, what is most dangerous, it transmits the virus to its larvae.

Signs of an encephalitis tick bite are quite difficult to notice, but the symptoms of encephalitis after a tick bite appear after a few days. In total, 60–70% of the inhabitants of the forest regions of the CIS countries suffer from tick-borne encephalitis. And it is not surprising, because the best breeding and growth place for ticks are dense forests, marshlands, groves. The most important thing is to recognize the first signs of encephalitis in time and start treatment immediately after the bite in order to avoid complications. Treatment involves taking a variety of antiviral drugs and antibiotics.

In the worst case, if the immune system is extremely weakened, the following symptoms will appear:

aching bones;
muscle pain;
stiff neck muscles (it is difficult or almost impossible to tilt your head forward);
irritability;
unstable emotional state;
nausea and vomiting;
fear of light;
yellow tint of the sclera and whites of the eyes.

Diagnosis of encephalitis

Like any viral disease, tick-borne encephalitis requires careful diagnosis. And since tick-borne encephalitis has similar symptoms with influenza, acute respiratory infections, Lyme disease and other viruses, it is necessary to carry out a whole range of diagnostic procedures:

Data collection: information on the patient's whereabouts in the last days, and even weeks (for example, forest, park, botanical garden, wetlands) and comparison with the patient's history and examination.
Puncture and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid: puncture of the ridge in the lumbar region and sampling of cerebrospinal fluid (fluid in the spinal cord). This test will show the presence of an abscess or bleeding.

Only after a whole range of examinations of the patient can a diagnosis be made.

Disease development

As a rule, not everyone immediately notices a small gray ball on their body. This is quite difficult to do, because the favorite places for tick bites are the back and side of the neck, armpits and skin below, the collarbone and even the calf. In addition, an encephalitis mite does not show symptoms immediately. Often, the bite does not cause much discomfort, and only a keen eye can notice a small red speck at the site of the bite. The main signs of tick-borne encephalitis infection will become visible only five to ten days after the bite. If a person has weak immunity, symptoms will appear on the second or fourth day after the pathogen enters the bloodstream.

The classic first symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis are similar to those of the flu: chills, fever, headache, weakness, aches, and so on.

During this time, the virus multiplies in the blood. The fever can last up to ten days. Often, fever and other symptoms disappear, the person gains immunity against tick-borne encephalitis (this is manifested in further resistance to the virus) and recovers.

But in rare cases, improvement does not mean recovery at all, but only a state of remission, which lasts about five days. Then the virus is introduced directly into the membranes of the spinal cord and brain - the functions of the nervous system and other organs are disrupted, the innervation of the organs weakens. Mental disorders, loss of hearing, scent, vision, and weakening of other senses are also observed. Muscle dysfunction is also noticeable: lethargy, paralysis of the limbs, rigidity. Violations depend on the form of tick-borne encephalitis.

Forms of the disease

The study of tick-borne encephalitis has led to the identification of several forms of the disease, manifested depending on the complex of symptoms that are characteristic of them. Each form differs from the other in the time of manifestation, the focus of the spread of the infection and the severity of treatment.

There are such forms of encephalitis caused by a tick:

feverish;
meningeal;
meningoencephalitic;
polio;
polyradiculoneuritic.

The initial form is considered febrile. She has symptoms typical of typical flu-like illnesses: chills, high body temperature, aches and weakness. Then the infection directly affects the membranes of the spinal cord, neurological functions are impaired, therefore, the following symptoms join the signs of a febrile form: nausea and vomiting, throbbing headache that develops into a migraine, severe hyperesthesia, fear of light, stiff neck muscles, pain when pressing on the eyeballs. And you can also observe nystagmus, anisocoria, facial asymmetry, and so on. Probably the development of meningitis.

Under the influence of meningoencephalitic and polio forms of infection, the membranes of the brain are damaged and paralysis of the limbs and mental disorders occur. Death is also likely. The meningoencephalitic form is characterized by the following symptoms: mental disorder, hallucinations, paralysis, paresis, epileptic seizure.

Signs of the poliomyelitis form of tick-borne encephalitis: the same as in the meningoencephalitis form, only persistent paralysis of the limbs and neck is still present. Tick-borne encephalitis of the polyradiculioneurotic form has the following symptoms: lethargy and paralysis of the limbs, impaired vision, hearing and other sensory systems, severe pain in the hips and groin.

Encephalitis- inflammation of the brain of various etiologies. The question of this disease is usually raised in the summer, when the tick-borne encephalitis vector, the tick of the genus Ixodes, multiplies. This genus includes about 650 species, but the representatives of Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes persulcatus are of clinical importance.

Symptoms of an encephalitis tick bite in humans

Ticks become most active in late March. At the site of the bite, some people may have edema and a delimited area of inflammation.

Favorite places to stick to mite, should have a thin skin and be rich in blood vessels.

More often, the mite sticks to the skin on:

folds on the abdomen;
armpits;
popliteal hollows;
lower back;
groin area;
areas behind the ears;
scalp.

Encephalitis is acute. Already after 1-3 weeks, the first signs of the disease appear.

These include:

temperature the body rises to 40 degrees;
weakness, weakness;
strong headache;
absence appetite;
red skin rash;
nausea, vomit;
redness face and eyes;
tachycardia;
convulsions;
rave, hallucinations;
photophobia;
motor violations;
a loss consciousness or motor and speech overexcitation;
increase regional lymph nodes.

Causes

Often the tick bite goes unnoticed, so a person feels the first signs of the disease. Some individuals may react to the saliva of a tick with an allergic reaction and then symptoms will appear immediately after the bite.

Symptoms appear vividly and quickly in children, the elderly, patients with a history of chronic diseases and various immunodeficiency states.

Tick-borne encephalitis caused by an arbovirus of the genus Flavivirus, which was described by A.G. Panov in 1935.

The virus enters the bloodstream, spreads throughout the body. It is tropathic to the nervous tissue, therefore it settles in the brain, spinal cord (in the gray matter), which causes the manifestation of symptoms of irritation of the central nervous system.

Forms

There are the following forms of the disease:

Meningeal.

Most common. Symptoms of irritation of the meninges predominate. Stiff neck. Fever keeps going 38-39 degrees, can go in two waves. Lymphocytes are found in the cerebrospinal fluid, the color is unclear, opalescent. The changes in the cerebrospinal fluid persist for two weeks.

In some cases, meningeal symptoms may absent, changes appear only in the cerebrospinal fluid. Forecast favorable.

Feverish.

The lightest form presented. Acute onset with pyretic fever before 39 degrees, weakness, headaches. There are no meningeal symptoms. The pathogen is not found in the cerebrospinal fluid. The prognosis is favorable.

Characterized by the appearance paresthesia, pain along the nerves and large nerve trunks. Sensory disturbances and paralysis appear. Flaccid paralysis can be either ascending or descending.

Meningoencephalitic.

Severe form. It is manifested by impaired consciousness, delirium, hallucinations. May occur epileptic seizures.

There are two forms:

Diffuse. There are seizures of the epileptic type, disorders of consciousness. Deep reflexes are asymmetric and uneven. They manifest themselves in the form of a lesion of the respiratory centers (tachypnea, bradypnea, pathological respiration), the vasomotor center.
Focal. Capsular hemiparesis, central monoparesis, myoclonus, and epileptic seizures often develop. Lesions of pairs of cranial nerves are characteristic;

Poliomyelitis.

At first, pain syndrome predominates, pain is felt in the area of the muscles of the neck and arms. Begin with fascicular twitching muscles. This symptom can be explained by irritation of the cells of the anterior horns of the spinal cord.

Then it may appear weakness in the limbs. Then, against the background of fever, spastic paresis of the legs and flaccid paresis of the hands, flaccid paresis of the cervical muscles and muscles of the upper limb girdle appear.

Tick-borne encephalitis of the European subtype

Pathogen - tick Ixodes ricinus or a dog tick.

Peculiarities:

low mortality (1-3% according to some data);
relatively mild course of the disease;
more common in the European part of Russia;
two-wave fever is characteristic;

Tick-borne encephalitis of the Far Eastern subtype

Calls out tick Ixodes persulcatus or taiga tick.

Peculiarities:

severe form;
high mortality (up to 20%);
peaks in a chronic form;
a carrier of Lyme disease, borreliosis (in addition to tick-borne encephalitis). More often than the European tick. Read more about.

Prevention and treatment of encephalitis and bites

Treatment

Specific treatment does not exist, symptomatic treatment is carried out. The diagnosis is confirmed when antibodies to the virus are found in the patient's blood.

In the acute period of the disease, the following is prescribed:

Prevention

Refrain from consuming unpasteurized milk(there have been cases of infection with encephalitis by the alimentary route);
Wear closed clothing when hiking in the forest, to the park or when traveling to the country. Long-sleeved jackets, trousers tucked into boots, collars tight to the throat. Be sure to take a hat with you so that the tick does not stick to the scalp.
Upon returning home, be sure to examine yourself for ticks;
Use special sprays and ointments for scaring off organisms;
Examine pets, who could bring a tick on themselves;
If a tick is found, it must be removed as soon as possible. The likelihood that he will be infected is small, but once again it does not hurt to be careful.

The tick can be pulled out by swinging movements and under no circumstances should you crush it! Disinfect the wound with chlorhexidine, iodine or other disinfectant solution. A detected tick must be saved and taken for analysis to an infectious disease laboratory, if there is one in your locality.

In the first three days after the bite you can go to the first-aid post, where (if available) antiencephalitis immunoglobulin can be administered. Remantadine also has antiviral effect. But such emergency prophylaxis does not give a complete guarantee that the patient will not get encephalitis;
Get vaccinated against tick-borne encephalitis. At the moment, effective and high-quality vaccines against tick-borne encephalitis have been invented.

Vaccination is done in three stages:

first;
the second after 1 (3) month;
then after 9 (12) months the third.

There is a scheme according to which the second vaccination is given two weeks after the first. The third is the same as in the previous scheme. This circuit is emergency.

Vaccination will form immunity, which is enough for 3 years. Then you will have to do a revaccination (if the person lives in an encephalitis-endemic area).

Complications

The most common complications:

long-term headache;
violations sleep;
violations hearing, sight, speech;
weakening memory;
affective disorders;
changes consciousness;
mental backwardness;
paralysis;
paresis;
hallucinations;
stop cardiac and respiratory activity;
incontinence urine;
incontinence feces.

As you can see, encephalitis can give many complications, lead to patient disability and even death. To avoid complications, when a tick is found, a person should consult a doctor for help as soon as possible.

19.09.2016

This pathology is a focal infection that negatively affects the organs of the central nervous system and becomes the cause of paralysis of the limbs and other dangerous diseases. The signs of encephalitis after a tick bite detected during the time will help to start treatment as soon as possible, which will prevent the development of pathological processes.

Signs of tick-borne encephalitis in humans

Outwardly, the pathology does not express itself in any way, therefore, it is not worth looking for symptoms in the appearance of a bite, manifestations of itching or other sensations. Often, the disease is manifested by a psychological complex of symptoms.

The incubation period lasts from eight to twenty days. Already one day after infection, the first signs of tick-borne encephalitis may appear. The infection process can take different durations. It all depends on what type of virus has damaged the body. Now there are frequent cases of the rapid development of the disease, in which the patient falls into a coma and dies due to paralysis of the respiratory system.

At the initial stages, the disease is accompanied by the following appearances:

heat;
muscle weakness;
body aches;
photophobia;
vomit;
excessive sweating;
loss of appetite;
nausea;
Strong headache.

In the case of a head bite, the incubation period is halved. If you do not start treatment in a timely manner, the intensity of the disease will increase.

Manifestation of encephalitis after a tick bite

There are several types of encephalitis, which are distinguished by the characteristic symptoms manifested in humans.

Febrile form

It is the easiest one. Its main manifestations:

malaise of the whole body;
an increase in temperature (over five days);
feeling overwhelmed;
violation of appetite.

In the future, complications of this form of the disease are not observed.

Meningeal form

In addition to the syndrome, it is also accompanied by meningal symptoms. Patients have:

violation of consciousness;
severe vomiting;
deterioration of reflex activity.

Analysis of cerebrospinal fluid reveals leukocytosis with pleocyte content. The consequence of the disease is recurrent headaches.

Poliomyelitis and sciatica

With radiculitis and poliomyelitis, which appear almost the same, they are accompanied by damage to the muscles of the chest and neck. The most obvious symptoms are:

joint pain;
paralysis and paresthesia of small muscle fibers.

The consequence of this form is often muscle atrophy and deterioration of the motor activity of the damaged areas.

Encephalitis form

It is the most severe form of the disease, during which the membranes of the brain are affected. Tick-borne encephalitis symptoms develop very quickly. These include:

paralysis of the legs and arms;
coma;
hallucinations;
confusion of consciousness;
disorientation;
slowness of movements;
vomiting by a fountain.

Signs of the consequences of an encephalitis tick bite

Some complications, formed during illness, can remind of themselves throughout life. Improper removal causes injury to the skin and subcutaneous tissue. This can result in suppuration, infection and abscess. Signs of this condition are:

Tick-borne encephalitis is a virus that infects the human nervous system. The virus is carried by common ticks. Since they are moisture-loving insects, they are most often found in forests, in areas with tall grass, and in swampy areas. It is in these places that there is a high risk of contracting encephalitis.

Encephalitis tick is not a special "breed", but the most common individual infected with the encephalitis virus

Tick-borne encephalitis causes

There are more than 30,000 species of ticks in the world, of which 5,000 are encephalitic. It should be noted that there is no special type of encephalitis tick. There are ticks infected with encephalitis. In this case, the virus can be contained both in the body of females and males, and in larvae, and in nymphs. Tick infection occurs when blood is sucked out of an infected animal. In this case, the virus does not in any way affect the insect's body.

Especially susceptible to infection with encephalitis are people whose work activities involve visiting swampy areas and deciduous forests. However, if you live far from these places and have not been there, this does not mean that you are insured against the bite of an infected tick. It can be brought both by pets on their own fur, and by your neighbors or guests who have been in a high-risk area.

The tick has a unique small body with several pairs of legs, with the help of which it clings to the clothes of people and animal hair: thus it moves from one place to another.

You can become infected with encephalitis not only when a tick has bitten, but also through the consumption of raw milk from an infected animal. And also as a result of crushing the noticed insect in an open area of the body, as a result of which its small particles are rubbed into the skin, which leads to infection.

After you have been bitten by an infected tick, the virus spreads in the body, through the blood vessels it enters the brain and back, as a result of which the nervous system is damaged.

The symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis are at first similar to the common flu, but then atrophy of the muscles of the neck and shoulders begins to appear.

Symptoms

It is very difficult to identify the symptoms of encephalitis in the early stages of the disease. The incubation period can last from 2 to 21 days. At the same time, at the end of this time interval, pronounced symptoms may not be observed at all, and it will be possible to identify the presence of the disease only by passing tests.

But most people have symptoms as early as 7-10 days after they have been bitten by an encephalitis tick. As a rule, initially they are similar to the common flu: fever up to 38 ° C, chills, muscle pain, headache, dizziness, loss of appetite, vomiting and nausea.

Also, the symptoms of encephalitis are manifested by paralysis of the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle. As a rule, this happens 9-14 days after the person has been bitten by a tick. First, the heaviness of the head is felt and its hanging to the chest is observed, then there is a sharp decrease in the tone of the muscles of the limbs, and then muscle atrophy develops.

The disease can also cause epileptiform seizures, which can be accompanied by loss of consciousness. The patient may also experience psychological disturbances in the form of confusion and hallucinations.

The disease can be mild or severe. After a complete cure, the body develops strong immunity, which prevents the development of a second disease.

If you removed the tick yourself, do not rush to get rid of it: you need to place it in a closed vessel and take it to a medical facility for analysis for encevalitis

Tick-borne encephalitis forms

There are several forms of tick-borne encephalitis:

feverish;
meningoencephalitic;
polio;
meningeal.

Febrile form

This form of the disease is the most favorable, since after a person has been bitten by an encephalitis tick, the central nervous system is not affected. The symptoms of febrile tick-borne encephalitis are as follows:

temperature increase;
headache;
weakness and aches;
decreased appetite;
nausea.

Meningeal form

After a bite of an encephalitis tick in a person with this form of the disease, the central nervous system is partially affected. The mucous membrane of the brain becomes irritated, as a result of which the following symptoms appear:

fear of light appears;
hardening of the occipital muscles;
severe, sometimes unbearable, headache;
temperature increase;
vomit.

Meningoencephalitic form

Brain cells are affected, which lead to complications of various kinds and even death. This form is characterized by psychological disorders, seizures and paralysis, as well as loss or blurring of consciousness, hallucinations.

Poliomyelitis form

This form of the disease is very dangerous. Indeed, to all of the above symptoms, damage to the cervical spinal cord is added, as a result of which paralysis of the hands and neck occurs. After a person suffers an illness, at best he can remain disabled, at worst - die.

If you find a sucked tick on your body, in no case should you pull it out with "bare" fingers or try to squeeze it out like a regular pimple. It must be greased with vegetable oil and removed after 20 minutes with tweezers. At the same time, your movements should be smooth and circular. After you remove the tick from the body, place it in a jar, and treat the bite site with iodine or brilliant green.

But before processing, take a good look at the bite site. If you have not completely removed the tick, you should take an ordinary needle, disinfect it and take out part of the insect's body, like a common splinter.

The jar in which you placed the tick must be taken to any medical institution, where it will be examined and the presence of the virus in it is confirmed or denied. Also, after a tick bite, pay close attention to your well-being and the condition of the skin. If within a month you have a fever or a rash on your skin, be sure to see your doctor.