Causes for tick bites | Tick bite during pregnancy

Causes for tick bites

Human blood is a food source for ticks, therefore they bite. Pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of a tick bite. Walks in fields, tall grasses or in the forest carry a particularly high risk of a tick bite.

There, ticks are found on blades of grass, waiting for an animal or a person to graze the blade of grass. With their sensory organs they perceive vibrations, body heat and scents. Seasonally, there is an increased risk of a tick bite, depending on the region.

Therefore, one should take care, especially in so-called endemic areas. You can protect yourself with sturdy shoes and long socks. Long pants also help to protect yourself from a tick bite.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of a tick bite is not particularly difficult. Most of the time the tick is still on the body and is visible to the naked eye. During pregnancy, the tick should be removed as soon as possible.

If you remove the tick yourself, keep it in a jar. It may be needed for further examinations. After removing the tick, the doctor may take a blood sample to detect antibodies against pathogens that the tick transmits.

Since the antibodies are sometimes formed with a delay – after about 2 to 3 weeks – the blood sample must usually be taken again after 6 weeks. The first priority is the physical examination of the pregnant woman. The doctor looks at the area surrounding the tick bite.

There the so-called migrant redness (erythema migrans) can be detected in about 50% of the Lyme disease infections. This is a red skin change that spreads in a ring around the tick bite. However, this appears at the earliest 7 days after the infection. If there is a suspicion of transmission in early pregnancy, additional ultrasound examinations are performed to detect any damage to the child. If the suspicion persists, blood is taken from the umbilical cord after birth and further examination is carried out.