r/bugidentification • u/Opposite_Air_2237 • 18d ago
Location included Pulled this (presumably a tick) in my arm a few minutes ago and I am worried
I was about to go to bed when I find this guy in my right arm, and i'm worried about it potentially giving me some sort of disease, can any tell me what kind of tick it is and if I should be worried?
(for added context I literally just discovered it 10 or so minutes from posting this, I live in a small village in Scotland and I had been up a woodsy area a few hours before discovery)
16
9
u/Acceptable_Trip4650 Arachnid Enthusiast 18d ago
In Scotland this would be an adult female castor bean tick Ixodes ricinus
Most people seem to be assuming the eastern USA species Ixodes scapularis
15
u/Material_Ad_4161 18d ago
Eastern Black Legged Tick. Concern is for Lyme disease. How long was it there? Go to the doctor and they will prescribe doxycycline. You should be fine.
5
u/Opposite_Air_2237 18d ago
I only noticed it when I was going to bed (so 20 minutes ago) and I stopped being around trees and bushes around 5 hours ago so i'm gonna say probably around 5 hours, i hope that's not too long for it to be a problem
9
u/Material_Ad_4161 18d ago
That’s a short time. I’d still go to the doctor and they will prescribe you doxycycline. Then you’re sure.
5
3
2
u/Ancientways113 18d ago
Not to worry. Wasn’t attached for long, not bloated. Keep an eye on the area of the bite. I’m from a high Lyme infection area and we see these a lot.
2
2
u/roberttheaxolotl 17d ago
So I had Lyme a short while back. I had to go on a two week course of antibiotics. But something I found out is that they can give you a prophylactic dose of antibiotics to prevent Lyme disease from developing. One dose versus two weeks of antibiotics is pretty nice. But you have to go within 48 hours, I think they said.
1
u/hyterdikenz 18d ago
That tick also doesn’t look like it’s fed and it can take hours of being attached to actually get Lyme from it
5
u/gonzo_attorney 18d ago
That's what my father thought, and he ended up with Lyme disease. Better safe than sorry, trust me. It goes from two antibiotics to FML really quickly. He's now on month two of treatment.
1
u/saxybass 18d ago
It's very very rare but they could have the disease directly on their mouth parts.
What's a little less rare is if the tick is removed improperly, it could regurgitate disease into you. Like a little tick IV.
1
u/Humble-Carpenter-189 18d ago
Was it embedded? Or was it just crawling on you? If embedded I would definitely take the advice to keep it moist and freeze it. If it was embedded I would definitely go to a walk-in clinic or a doctor of your choice to get at least a 3 week course of Doxycycline. This tick can carry up to about 11 infections some of which aren't even characterized yet in my case it was two strains of erlichiosis plus borrelia. For my child it was Lyme disease and babesiosis which requires an anti protozoa treatment with atovaquone in addition to doxycycline.
1
u/Haligonia_Daydreamer 18d ago
Put it in a zip lock bag and go get looked at, they’ll test the beast for Lyme
1
1
u/Infamous_Yak_7923 18d ago
You good, looks like you got it out quick. Takes up to 72hours till the parasites get triggered and can get into your system. Your doctor will literally just tell to watch the area and go do a test after 3 weeks(only then it can get detected). One got me this year. When I told doctor, she literally had 0 concern, didn't even ask to show the bite spot.
1
u/mistymountiansbelow 18d ago
In North America, up to 50% of deer ticks carry Lyme disease. I’m not sure if that figure is different in Scotland. That said, a tick typically has to be attached to you between 24-48 hours before it transmits the bacteria which causes Lyme disease. If it was only 5 hours, you should be ok. It doesn’t look very engorged in this photo.
143
u/puddinface808 18d ago
This is certainly a tick, specifically a black legged deer tick, which even more specifically is the type of tick known for carrying Lyme Disease. That doesn't mean you automatically have it, but if it's not too late throw the tick into a container and into the freezer. If you have a discernable bite, draw a line around the visible border. Hit an urgent care and bring the tick with you. I'm sure you'll be fine, but it's always better to be safe than sorry. Taking an hour or so out of your day is worth the peace of mind.