Tick Induced Allergies: Why You Need To Know How To Safely Remove A Tick

For some people, ticks are more than just annoying. Ticks can be the cause of serious allergies, from severe allergic reactions to the tick bite itself, to ongoing meat allergies (alpha-gal syndrome). This is why avoiding tick bites is so important, as is removing any ticks the correct way. Learn how to prevent tick bites and how to remove ticks safely to reduce the risk of developing tick related allergies.

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What are ticks?

You might think ticks are insects, but they are actually arachnids – like spiders – and have 8 legs. Ticks are usually very small in size. Their eggs and larvae are less than 1mm long and baby ticks (nymphs) are less than 2mm long. These young ticks can be very hard to spot. Adult ticks are about 2-6mm long, depending on the species, and can grow to almost 10mm long after feeding on animals or people.

When ticks bite, they use their front legs to latch on. Then they use their barbed mouths to pierce through the skin and burrow in to feed on blood from their host. The tick secretes saliva which contains substances to numb the bite area and to help the tick stay attached and feed. Undisturbed, the tick will stay attached a feed slowly for a few days, becoming engorged and falling off when it is full.

In Australia one of the tick species that causes tick induced allergies is the Australian Paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus). This tick is most often found on the eastern coast of Australia. In the US, the Lone Star tick (Amblyomma americanum) – commonly found in the south east of the country – is most often associated with tick induced allergies. The castor bean tick (Ixodes ricinus) is a problem in Europe.

In these areas, ticks are found in long grass, bushes and leaf litter and areas where there is a lot of vegetation like bushland and forests. They also live in backyard gardens.

How do ticks cause allergies?

Tick induced allergies are caused by the tick saliva, in two different ways:

• Tick anaphylaxis – an immediate allergic reaction to proteins in tick saliva. If a tick is removed the wrong way or disturbed, it can inject more saliva. This can cause a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). 
• Mammalian meat allergy, also known as alpha-gal syndrome – an allergy that can develop after a tick bite. Some tick saliva contains a sugar molecule called alpha-gal. Alpha-gal is also found in mammal meats like beef, lamb, pork, goat and venison. People with mamalian meat allergy experience a delayed allergic reaction to alpha-gal in meat.
• Some people with mammalian meat allergy also react to other mammal products like milk, gelatin and some animal products used in medical treatments.

So how can you help prevent tick induced allergies? The best way is to take steps to prevent tick bites. Secondly, know how to safely remove a tick to reduce the risk of developing an allergy.

How to prevent tick bites

As they say, prevention is better than cure. If you live in an area where ticks are active, there are some take steps you can take to help prevent tick bites.

According to TiARA (Tick Induced Allergy Research and Awareness), you should:

• use effective insect repellent – containing DEET or Picaridin;
• cover up – wear light coloured long-sleeved shirts and long pants when walking or working outside and tuck your shirt into your pants and your pants into your socks. Wearing gloves when gardening is also a good idea;
• If you work outside a lot, consider wearing work clothes treated wirth permithrin. You can also buy permithrin sprays to treat outdoor gear and tents;
• wear a wide-brimmed hat; and
• keep garden areas neat and tidy.

Check for ticks after you have been outside in grassy or bushland areas.

The National Allergy Council has a helpful video about preventing tick bites.

How to safely remove a tick

If you are bitten by a tick and it is attached to your skin, your first instinct may be to get it off as quickly as possible. But before you try and pull off a tick or reach for the tweezers, take a deep breath and remember: kill the tick where it is. If you squeeze a tick with tweezers, more of the allergy causing saliva will enter your skin.

Experts advice is to remove ticks as follows:

• For very small ticks (larvae and nymphs – which are less than 2 mm long), use a permithrin cream available from pharmacies/chemists.
• For adult ticks, remember ‘FREEZE DONT SQUEEZE’ – freeze the tick with a spray available from pharmacies/chemists (like Medi Freeze Tick Off) and let it drop off.

It’s a good idea to add these products to your first aid kit if you live in a tick affected area.

For step by step instructions, watch this helpful video from the National Allergy Council showing how to safely remove a tick or download this handy tick removal infographic.

If you are allergic to ticks, you should follow your allergy action plan and seek medical help.

Note: If a tick doesn’t fall off after freezing, still don’t use tweezers to remove it. Seek medical help to remove it instead.

More information about tick induced allergies

Learn more about allergic reactions cause by ticks from these helpful resources we’ve referred to in this post:

• Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology And Allergy, Tick Allergy Frequently Asked Questions
• National Allergy Council, Tick Allergy
• Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia, Tick Allergy
• TIARA – Tick Induced Allergies Research and Awareness
• USA Centre for Disease Control, Alpha-gal Syndrome

For more about other types of insect allergies, see our posts about jack jumper ants and red imported fire ants.

And don’t forget to subscribe for more practical tips for living wth all types of allergies and easy food allergy friendly recipes, including dairy free recipes suitable for people living with alpha-gal syndrome from tick bites.