The tick nymph is still an immature specimen that is much smaller than an adult tick. It is about one and a half millimeters in length and has a brownish-black color. Unfortunately, it is as dangerous as a tick. Find out how quickly a tick nymph can infect a host, what it looks like and how to remove it.

Ticks are dangerous to humans as they carry various types of pathogens.Mature specimens as well as the larvae and nymphs of ticks are at risk , as they can all infect the host.

The risk of tick-borne diseases increases with the advent of sunny weather, which encourages hiking in forests, meadows and parks, as it is in these places that they can be found most often. And although usually mature specimens are the most feared,in spring tick nymphs are especially dangerous , because then there are much more of them than mature ticks (the so-called imago).

What does a tick nymph look like?

When a female tick drinks the host's blood, she lays about 1-10 thousand. eggs, then dies. Then a larva hatches out of them and also feeds - most often on small mammals. After drinking the host's blood, it leaves the host and transforms into a nymph outside of its organism.

In the forest or in the meadow, the tick nymph is waiting for the next host - it can be both an animal and a human. Although it is larger than the tick larva, it is still difficult to spot.The tick nymph is the size of a pinhead - it is only 1.5-2, but after drinking the host's blood it can grow to as much as 1 centimeter.

The body of the tick nymph is mostly transparent and only a part of its abdomen is brown-black, thereforeit is very easy to confuse it with the birthmarks(so-called moles) or dirt. The dark part of her body is an armor that covers half of her spine. The body of a mature female tick looks similar, and only in a mature male tick the armor made of chitinous plates covers its entire back. In addition, thetick nymph has eight legs, thanks to which it can travel even several dozen meters to find a host.

What do tick nymphs, larvae and adults look like? Gallery

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How a nymph attackstick?

The tick nymph lives mainly on grasses and low bushes, thereforecan be found while wandering in meadows, forests, parksetc. It most often takes place in spring, when the nymph did not make it on time yet transform into an imago, that is, a mature tick.

It is worth knowing thattick nymphs are already active at 8 ° C , therefore you should absolutely remember to protect yourself against them and thus reduce the possible risk of infection .

The tick nymph attacks the host in the same way as the mature specimen . The front legs cut open the human skin, thus allowing the arachnid to penetrate the skin. Initially, a small blood spot appears at the nymph's thrust, and then, when the nymph feeds, that is, sucks blood, redness or erythema appears.

During feeding, it produces a lot of saliva containing irritants that cause skin reactions in the host.Additionally, when sucking blood, if a tick nymph is infected, it can transfer pathogens to the host's blood. Usually, infection occurs when the nymph is sucked on the skin for several hours. After feeding, the arachnid increases its size even twice and then it is ready to leave the host and transform into a mature individual.

Read:We debunk the 12 most popular myths about ticks

Tick nymph in the body - what to do?

It should be remembered thata tick nymph, just like a mature specimen, should be removed from the body as a whole.It is best to remove it in a straight motion with tweezers, grabbing it in place behind the head, and in front of the abdomen (close to the skin).

After removing the arachnid, wash your hands thoroughly and disinfect the bite area.Before removing it, do not cover the skin with oily substances, including creams, butter and other fats, as this will cause vomiting in a tick and will increase the risk of infection.

It is worth remembering to remove the tick nymph from the body as soon as possible , because the shorter it is in it, the lower the risk of infection. Additionally, if after removing the tick, a reddening appears at the injection site, you should immediately see a doctor.

Read:How to remove a tick step by step

How to protect yourself from tick nymphs?

To avoid being bitten by a tick nymph, you should know how to prevent it. First of all, remember to wear clothes that cover your body when you go out to the meadow, forest, park and wherever there are bushes and grasses.

Additionally withDue to the appearance of the tick nymph, it is worth wearing a light coat on which it will be easier to see it.

During a walk, it is worth spraying the body and clothes with repellants, i.e. special preparations that repel ticks, among others. In addition,each time you stay in places where tick nymphs may be feeding, you should check the skin- arachnids prefer to feed in warm and humid places, i.e. under the knees and armpits, in the groin, on the abdomen, on the neck, hairline and behind the ears.

About the authorSonia Młodzianowska Journalist, editor, copywriter. He publishes in he alth and parenting magazines and portals. He belongs to the Journalists for He alth Association.

Tick nymph - are young ticks dangerous?

The tick nymph is as dangerous as the mature specimen, because it carries numerous pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and protozoa. If a tick, regardless of its development stage, is infected, it can cause dangerous diseases such as tick-borne encephalitis (TBE), babesiosis, anaplasmosis, Lyme disease and many others after being bitten.

It should also be remembered that tick nymphs are smaller than mature specimens, therefore, due to the difficulty in recognizing, they can be more dangerous.

In addition to the risk of transmitting dangerous diseases, the tick nymph may cause redness, erythema and other irritations, allergic reactions, sometimes also acute reactions with hemorrhagic syndrome, and even poisoning the body during extremely long feeding.

Category:

Parasitic diseases