With the deconfinement and the arrival of summer, the desires for walks or hikes abound. But again this year, watch out for ticks! While they are out on almost the entire territory, the lecturer in parasitology at the University of Strasbourg, Nathalie Boulanger, was the guest of "Sans Rendez-vous", on Europe 1, to tell us one little more about these critters and their bites.
Do ticks all attack humans?
Out of the forty species listed in France, only two bite humans, the "dermacentor" and the "ixodes ricinus". The latter, nicknamed "sheep tick", is the most frequent and therefore the one that is most often responsible for bites on humans. But the latter "is only an accidental host" for this tick which prefers to attack "rodents, birds, or deer", indicates the microphone of Europe 1 the specialist.
Is a tick bite necessarily synonymous with illness?
Known to transmit Lyme disease, the tick is not necessarily a vector of a pathogen. According to Nathalie Boulanger, there are between 10 and 20% of ticks carrying the "great imitator". As for other diseases, only 1 to 2% of ticks can transmit them. But that's without counting on our "immune system which is often effective" against these attacks, reassures the parasitologist.
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Is there a tick season?
It is customary to say that spring and autumn are seasons conducive to ticks, but in reality this is only partially true. "It all depends on the geographic area: on the ocean coast there are all year round, while the Mediterranean area is spared because the tick does not like drought." However, it is found "in wetlands, such as deciduous forests, mixed forests", where the leaves will serve as shelter for it to reproduce. This is why the East and Center regions are "very concerned by ticks".
How to protect yourself from ticks?
If you plan to go to a "risk zone" (forests, parks, gardens, etc.), Nathalie Boulanger therefore recommends wearing "light, covering clothing in a light color to identify them more easily". And if ticks have taken up residence in your garden, she "advises to mow, collect the leaves and avoid having piles of wood" to minimize the places they like.
The specialist also insists on a body inspection once back at home, also favoring hot humid areas, namely "the hollows of the knees, the armpits, the genitals, the navel, or even the scalp at children ". This step is all the more important as the transmission time of a pathogenic agent is "12 to 24 hours".
How to remove a tick?
To remove a tick, the parasitologist recommends the use of commercially available ticks that have the shape of small crowbars. "But tweezers can do the trick, as long as you have the right method. To start with, you shouldn't put anything on the tick, then, tweezers in hand, you have to take it the most possible close to the skin to try to extract it by turning. " If the animal's biting parts remain in your skin, don't panic, "it's the immune system that will take care of it".
Once the extraction is done, it is important to disinfect the skin, wash your hands well, but also to monitor "the bite point for three to 30 days, to see if something develops". Nathalie Boulanger also insists on the need to monitor her overall health, and to consult in the event of fatigue or fever which may appear within seven to ten days.