Tick bites (72 cases) between 2017 and 2019 at Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan: Focus on 62 cases of <i>Amblyomma testudinarium</i> bites
2020; Japan Society of Medical Entomology and Zoology; Volume: 71; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.7601/mez.71.219
ISSN2185-5609
AutoresMizuho Shimada, Hiroki Kawabata, Shuji Ando, Shichu Hou, Yumie Kobayashi, Yoshie Hirose, Fuminori Shuto, Kazuhiko Shimizu, Takayuki TAKAHASHI, Satoru Komatsumoto,
Tópico(s)Mosquito-borne diseases and control
ResumoTicks can potentially transmit lethal pathogens to humans. At Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan, tick bites became prominent around 2015; however, identification of tick species or evaluation of epidemiological risk factors was not performed. In addition, a noninvasive tick removal method was desired from the perspective of patient safety. Therefore, we examined tick species, age at bite, sex, bitten body part, and location (address) of 72 patients with tick bites who visited Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital for consultation between 2017 and 2019. We found that 62 of the 72 cases (86%) of bites were of Amblyomma testudinarium, which has not been previously reported in Tochigi Prefecture. Tick bites occurred mainly in the fields or gardens around the residential areas adjacent to low mountains, from March to October, peaking in May and June. Among the 72 cases, 53 (74%) were aged 50 years or above, and 44 (61%) were females. In June 2018, we introduced a tick remover as an alternative to scalpel incision. Subsequently, the tick remover was used for 6 cases in 2018 and for 21 cases in 2019 without any remnant of the tick mouthpiece.
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