Accompanying symptoms

Tick bites do not always lead to complaints and are usually asymptomatic. The bite as such is not painful and is usually only noticed when the tick is searched for. Since the tick bite can lead to the transmission of infections, accompanying symptoms are possible.

The transmission of Lyme disease is usually asymptomatic at first. After a few days, however, 50% of those affected suffer from the so-called migrant redness (erythema migrans). Occasionally, the migrant redness is accompanied by a slight itching.

Only in very rare cases are there accompanying symptoms such as fever, malaise, headache and fatigue. Later stages of Lyme disease become symptomatic only after months and can therefore not be seen as accompanying symptoms of a tick bite. An infection with TBE during pregnancy is completely asymptomatic in over 90% of cases.

In very rare cases, fever and flu-like symptoms may occur 2 to 4 weeks after the tick bite. Typical is a subsequent fever-free interval with a subsequent renewed increase. This process is called biphasic.

What to do in case of a tick bite during pregnancy?

First of all, you should try to avoid a sting in the first place or discover it as soon as possible. After a walk in the forest, field or high grass, one should therefore – especially during pregnancy – thoroughly search for ticks on the body. Especially if you live in high risk areas, an attentive search is recommended.

This way ticks can be found quickly and do not remain unnoticed on the body. The longer the tick has time to suck, the higher the risk of infection.After finding the tick, it should be removed as soon as possible. Remove the tick only with a suitable pair of pliers from the pharmacy and avoid squeezing or pressing it.

Afterwards a cleaning of the puncture site with disinfectant is recommended. After the removal of the tick you should consult a doctor and have yourself examined. If there is a suspicion of a transmission of Borrelia bacteria, an immediate antibiotic therapy with amoxicillin is carried out.

An antibiotic therapy after a tick bite is necessary if there is a suspicion of borreliosis in the pregnant woman This results from indications in the blood test or the physical examination. One indication is the so-called migrant redness (erythema migrans). However, as such a skin sign can only be seen in 50% of the Lyme disease infections, Lyme disease cannot be excluded or confirmed with certainty.

If there is an increased risk of Lyme disease, a therapy with amoxicillin is carried out even without clinical signs. The decision must be made individually for each pregnant woman. To be able to make a risk assessment, in some cases an examination of the tick can be carried out.

It can be determined whether the tick carries Borrelia bacteria or not. In reality, however, this examination is rarely carried out, as it is rarely useful. Furthermore the adherence time of the tick is used to assess the risk. If the tick is removed within a few minutes or hours, the risk of transmission is very low. As a rule, this is only increased from an adhesion period of 6 to 24 hours.