The Asian tiger mosquito has its original habitat, as the name suggests, in the south and southeast Asian (sub-)tropics. Due to climate change, it has been displaced worldwide in recent years by travel activities and the transport of goods. This mosquito is a potential carrier of the Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses, which can cause serious disease.
You can recognize a stitch by these symptoms
In general, the bites of different mosquitoes are not easily distinguished. Furthermore, every person reacts differently to a mosquito bite. The extent of the reaction also depends on whether the mosquito was infected with a pathogen or not.
As a rule of thumb, the stronger the reaction of the body, the more serious the infection. It remains questionable how meaningful an exact identification of the bite is, since even in the case of an infection with the pathogens mentioned, only a small percentage of patients show symptoms and these can then only be treated symptomatically. General criteria for a mosquito bite, which also apply to the bite of the Asian tiger mosquito, are
- Swelling
- Redness
- Overheating Überwa
- Itching
- Pain
Swelling is a classic sign of inflammation.
In this process, increased fluid from the inside of the vessel is transferred into the tissue. In the case of a mosquito bite, this occurs as a reaction to certain ingredients of the mosquito’s saliva. This saliva is transferred during the bite and, among other things, dilutes the blood so that the mosquito can suck the blood more easily.
In addition, the saliva can also contain pathogens. Depending on the reaction, the swelling may only affect the bite site or the palms of the hands may be large. If the other symptoms mentioned above also occur, this may indicate an infection of the mosquito bite and you should consult a doctor for clarification.
The redness is also one of the classic signs of inflammation. In the area of the bite, the body reacts by releasing messenger substances, including histamine. This causes the vessels to dilate, thus increasing the blood flow in the affected area.
This ensures that the toxins introduced are flushed out more quickly and the healing area is supplied with the necessary substances. Externally, these processes manifest themselves in the form of redness and overheating. The unpleasant itching that a mosquito bite causes is also mainly due to the histamine released.
Because the immune system does not know the substances in the saliva of the Asian tiger mosquito, it often reacts violently. Even if it is difficult, one should not give in to the itching and start scratching. This only leads to infections and scars. Instead, the bite should be cooled. This not only helps against the itching, but also the swelling, redness and overheating.
