tick bite

tick bite

Etymology: ME, tike + AS, bitan, to bite

a puncture wound produced by the toothed beak of a blood-sucking tick, a small, tough-skinned arachnid. Ticks transmit several diseases to humans, and a few species carry a neurotoxin in their saliva that may cause ascending paralysis beginning in the legs. Nervousness, loss of appetite, tingling, and headache, followed by muscle pain and, in extreme cases, respiratory failure may occur. Symptoms often disappear when the attached tick is carefully removed with forceps. See also Lyme disease, Q fever, relapsing fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia.

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Patient discussion about tick bite.

Q. I had a tick to bite me a few days ago now I have a headache on and off and feel nauseous and diarrhea My friend had a stomach virus last week is my symptoms coming from the tick or is it a coincidence

A. It sounds like the tick bite is just a coincidence. You probably caught a virus, not necessarily from your friend who was sick, but that's also a possibility. However, if the bad feeling doesn't go away, or your suddenly experience fever spikes, you should see a doctor, because you might have a bacterial infection that will need antibiotics.