TREATMENT OF BITES 367 



cient disseminator if the disease were introduced into its terri- 

 tory. The same might be said of D. variabilis, the dog tick of 

 eastern North America, though this species less commonly 

 attacks man. 



Of particular interest is the effect produced by the larvae of 

 certain ticks in southeastern Africa, especially the bont tick, 

 Amhlyomma hebrceum. Its larvae produce itching and painful 

 wounds which may be followed in a week or so by fever, head- 

 ache, skin eruptions and other general symptoms. The name 

 " tick-bite fever " has been applied to this malady. Whether it 

 is caused by a microorganism is unknown. Immunity rapidly 

 develops, so that usually only new arrivals are affected. In 

 Europe one of the most troublesome species of Ixodidse, as far 

 as man is concerned, is the common dog tick, Ixodes ricinis, 

 which attacks a great variety of animals, and is evidently quite 

 fond of human blood. A particularly obnoxious species in 

 tropical America is Amhlyomma cajennense. Not only the 

 nymphs and adults but also the larvae of this species are pests 

 of man. 



Treatment and Prevention. — As shown above tick bites may 

 be attended by a number of serious results, such as fever, ulcer- 

 ating sores, paralysis or disease transmission. The treatment 

 of the bites, therefore, may be of considerable importance. It 

 has been shown that ticks, at least in the case of the relapsing 

 fevers, do not ordinarily infect directly by biting, but by con- 

 taminating the wound with infected excrement. It is obvious, 

 therefore, that disinfection of the wound after removal of the 

 tick would be a precaution of great value in places where ticks 

 carry diseases to which human beings are susceptible. Such 

 treatment would also prevent bacterial infections of various 

 kinds from entering the wounds and causing ulceration or blood- 

 poisoning. 



Ticks should never be removed forcibly since if so handled 

 the head is likely to tear off from the body and remain in the 

 wound, held there by the ugly barbed proboscis. A drop of 

 kerosene, creoline or some other oil on the head of the tick will 

 cause it to withdraw its beak and drop off in the course of a 

 minute or two. Disinfection of the wound with alcohol, weak 

 carbolic, lysol or other disinfecting agent should follow imme- 

 diately. 



