How long does a tick have to be on a person before transfer of its cruddy germs has taken place? The common rule that is often stated is like 12 to 24 hours. Is there any real study that shows how long it takes? Or if it risk based on stage of how deep it has penetrated?
Mythbusters did the 5 sec rule test and found that it was instant if something touch a dirty wet floor. I wonder if that applied to a tick bite?
Posted by poppy (Member # 5355) on :
The 24 to 36 hr rule is most often cited by IDSA types, the CDC, and other uninformed people. This was based on a couple of small rodent studies, small numbers of animals, years ago. And they were talking about lyme, but some of the pathogens carried by ticks can be transferred very quickly, such as Borrelia miyamotoi and very nasty viruses.
For lyme, anecdotally, patients have found it can be transferred a lot faster than the above claims. The tick that got me was on less than 8 hours.
A medical entomologist found that the lyme bacteria can be in the tick saliva in some cases, instead of the digestive tract which requires longer to transmit. If it is in the tick saliva, then it can be injected quickly. Can't look at a tick and know where the bacteria were.
The thing is that nymphal ticks are so small they are often overlooked, so no one may know they have a tick for a long time. And if you find one and remove, there could still be another one attached.
Posted by hopingandpraying (Member # 9256) on :
I was told by one of the top LLMDs that all it takes is 15 minutes!
Posted by norcal (Member # 29829) on :
In my estimation this time reference is arbitrary at best, I mean come on!
This is science people in the natural world,you mean to tell me (IDSA) that there is NO pathogens in a ticks mouth parts?
Who came up with that theory?
I was bit by a tick two Februarys ago,tick was attached no more that an hour,that's how long I was in the wildlife area I had visited.
Next day,rash,stiff neck and feeling sh$&@-Ty. Was in treatment again for another eight months after that.
And now am relapsing at this late date. Bummer
So I believe this to be cockamammy,another ploy to keep everyone in the dark as to the real horrors.
(breaking up the post for easier reading for many here)
[ 01-09-2016, 10:41 PM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Q: How long does a tick have to be on a person before transfer [infections]?
[Totally my own words, gathered from lots of reading, my own experience and, uh, common sense.]
The IDSA / CDC dictate on this is not accurate. And it is ridiculous to think that there are no spirochetes or other infectious microbes in the tick's mouth, especially if such tick has had a previous blood meal.
The reality: Yes, the instant of introduction.
The instant there is a break in the skin from an infected tick (or mosquito) microbes may be introduced to blood and infection can transfer immediately.
Within 12 hours after a bite from an infected vector (even if feeding time might have been very short), borellia can infect the entire nervous system. -
[ 01-09-2016, 02:56 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
Bite Transmission time for Bb and other TBD -
Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
It took way less than 12 hours for me to get infected.
I've been infected twice and both times it had to be under 4 hours.
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
If a tick crawls across your skin and does its business on you, that can be absorbed. That can pass along other tick borne diseases to you, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
Handling a tick with your fingers can expose you also.