Conjunctival attachment of a tick: case report (original) (raw)

Large Tick (Ixodes) Infestation of the Upper Eyelid Presenting as Eyelid Mass and Preseptal Cellulitis

Case Reports in Ophthalmology, 2019

A child was referred for removal of an eyelid mass. She had preseptal cellulitis and a large tick deeply embedded in the tarsus of the upper eyelid necessitating antibiotic therapy and en-bloc excision of the tick with the attached eyelid portion. Large ticks that are embedded in the eyelid are best treated surgically with en-bloc excision of the tick and its attached lid. On the contrary, for small ticks involving the very superficial skin, fine-tipped tweezers can be used to grasp the insect. Ticks are vectors of several diseases like Lyme borreliosis, hence prophylactic antibiotic treatment and close observation are recommended.

Tick infestation masquerading as a nodule in the eye lid

Nepalese Journal of Ophthalmology

Introduction: Ticks are ectoparasites which can lead to various blood borne diseases. Tick bite may resemble pigmented nevi, mole or nodule resulting a diagnostic dilemma. Tick bite in eye lid is rare and this case report describes tick bite in lower eye lid mimicking a traumatized pigmented nodule where the tick was identified only on magnification and was successfully removed mechanically. Case: A 61-year-old man presented to the eye out patient department with a sudden and painful black pigmented lesion on the right lower lid for four days. The tick was manually removed with forceps. Conclusion: This case report explains the need for a high index of suspicion as tick bite in sudden or recent onset pigmented lesions especially in endemic areas.

Eyelid Tick Manifestation in Subhimalayan Region – A Case Series of 3 Cases

Delhi Journal of Ophthalmology, 2019

Ticks are ectoparasites which live by hematophagy of mammals, birds and reptiles, and consequently act as vectors of various diseases. Tick infestation has gained attention in recent times due to Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a potentially fatal tickborne disease. Ticks transmit zoonoses including Lyme disease, tularemia, Scrub typhus, etc. These also have been associated with localized lesions resembling erythema chronicum migrans, lymphoid hyperplasia, tick-related alopecia and foreign body granuloma. 1 To reduce the potential complications, complete removal of the organism is critical. We report a case series of 3 cases of tick infestations of the eyelids in a span of 3 weeks during the December and January months of winter season in a tertiary centre in northern India. Case 1 A 62 years old female presented to routine eye OPD with complaints of pain ,swelling and redness in her left upper eyelid from last 2 days. Visual acuity was 6/6 in both eyes. Ocular movements were full, cornea and rest of the ocular examination was unremarkable. On slit lamp examination there was presence of a live tick-like organism adherent on the upper and medial 1/3rd eyelash margin and intermarginal strip firmly attached to the adjacent eyelid skin (Figure 1 and 2). Also,there were numerous eggs lying adjacent to the attachment of tick. Few eggs were also present in the lower eyelid margin of left eye (Figure 3). Preauricular lymph nodes were enlarged on the side of the involvement. The tick was removed carefully using blunt toothless forceps and sent to the microbiology department. On microbiological examination, hard tick of species ixodes was identified. Patient was given oral doxycycline 100mg OD for 2 weeks for prophylaxis against lyme's disease and topical moxifloxacin 0.5% eye drops. Patient was kept on regular follow up and did not show any signs of tick transmitted diseases.

Revisiting detachment techniques in human-biting ticks

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2016

Early and complete removal of ticks using the right technique is important to reduce tick-transmitted diseases. Several chemical and mechanical detachment techniques have been described previously. We aimed to compare the performance of 4 tick-detachment techniques that are widely used in human beings and to determine the optimal method from these techniques. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 160 patients between April and June 2010. Patients with reported tick bite were reviewed retrospectively and divided into the following 4 groups according to the tick-detachment technique used: card detachment, lassoing, freezing, and tweezers. Performance of each technique was evaluated according to the number of fully detached, nondetached, and crushed ticks and the duration of application. Of the 160 tick-bite cases assessed, we found the following efficacy rates: 82.5% (33/40), technique using tweezers; 47.5% (19/40), lassoing technique; 7.5% (3/40), card detachment; and 0% (0/40), f...

Revenge of the Tick: Tick-Borne Diseases and the Eye in the Age of Climate Change and Globalisation

Zoonotic Diseases

Climate change has contributed to changes in disease transmission. In particular, zoonoses such as tick-borne diseases are occurring in areas previously unsuitable for tick survival, with spread to non-endemic areas rising. Ophthalmic manifestations of tick-borne diseases are rare. Often overlooked, diagnosis requires awareness and a high level of suspicion, which may delay treatment. This review provides a comprehensive overview of ocular disease associated with ticks so that management protocols for patients can be designed and implemented. A narrative literature review was conducted. The current literature includes case series, case reports, and literature reviews. Ocular manifestations of tick-borne diseases include adnexal manifestations, conjunctivitis, keratitis, cranial nerve palsies, optic nerve disease, uveitis, exudative retinal detachment, and panophthalmitis, which may occur in isolation or as part of a systemic process. As there is no one constellation of ocular sympto...

Tick Infestation: A 200-PATIENTS' Series

African journal of infectious diseases, 2017

A great number of zoonotic diseases with high mortality rate are transmitted by ticks. We performed this study in order to investigate patients admitted to emergency department following a tick bite. We examined the patients and get knowledge about the infestation and we followed up them for possible tick-conducted disease symptoms and laboratory findings both clinically and serologically. The study presented was hold for one year, between 01.01.2012 and 31.12.2012. 200 tick infested cases, admitted to Emergency Department of Haydarpasa Numune Training and Research Hospital, were subjected in the study. Demographic patterns of the patients and the region they come from, infested area on body, admission time and blood analyzing results were detected. Rate of adult patients to pediatric was 2:1; gender distribution was similar to each other. The most common body areas that ticks were removed from were lower extremity. The highest tick bite incidence was in summer and on weekends. No t...

Methods of Tick Removal: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Australasian Medical Journal, 2017

Background An increase in tick borne diseases in Australia has seen an interest in appropriate removal of ticks (order Ixodida) in order to prevent anaphylaxis, allergy and transmission of tick borne diseases. Aims A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature to determine what method of tick removal should be promoted in terms of preventing future health complications. Methods Thematic synthesis was used in two stages:-tick removal studies conducted on animals and humans were examined and the conclusions from all of these studies were compared, in order to ascertain the best tick removal method in relation to prevention of future medical problems (including tick bite allergy and transmission of infection). Conclusion This systematic review documents the best method of tick removal based on scientific and medical studies between 1985 and 2016. It concludes that the best method is to remove the tick as soon as possible after it is detected, using either fine-tipped tweezers or a reputable commercially produced tick removal tool to pull the tick away from the site of attachment. Some methods of removal, such as applying chemicals like petroleum jelly, alcohol, or nail polish to the tick, have been discredited. Other methods of removal, such as freezing, while promising, have not yet been scientifically validated.

Evaluation and comparison of tick detachment techniques and technical mistakes made during tick removal

Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Dergisi, 2020

BACKGROUND: Tick is among the important ectoparasites of humans and animals. Ticks may transmit disease-causing pathogens to humans. Tick contact may be resulted in several viral and bacterial infections, including Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever. Timely removal of ticks with appropriate methods is important in prevention of disease transmission. There are many methods reported for tick detachment. In this study, we aimed to evaluate two of them, suture lassoing and freezing and to compare both methods and to examine technical mistakes with these techniques.