Tick season

ILADS RECOMMENDATIONS (International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society):
  • The patient after a tick bite (even without any symptoms) should receive antibiotic therapy as soon as possible.
  • The above treatment should be extended to 6 weeks if the patient develops erythema or flu-like symptoms after a tick bite (osteoarticular pain, malaise, fever).
  • Probiotics should always be taken during antibiotic therapy.
  • The redness that appears immediately after a bite is not usually erythema. Migraine erythema appears several days or even weeks after the bite. Sometimes erythema has no characteristic shape or color. Erythema may occur in a different place than the bite. If you cannot get a prescription from your doctor, we invite you to the Center for a quick consultation, where, if the doctor decides so, you will receive a prescription for an antibiotic and schedule a check-up.
DIAGNOSTICS:
  • It is possible to test the tick for the presence of DNA of Borrelia and other pathogens. For this purpose, please contact Registration.
  • The earliest possible Lyme disease test is Elispot. It can be done 48 hours after a tick bite. The test must be done before antibiotic therapy. It can also be used to confirm the effectiveness of antibiotic therapy, but at least 6 weeks after the therapy completion. This test does not need to be done on an empty stomach.
  • The standard test is the determination of antibodies by Elisa and Western Blot methods. Since fresh antibodies in the IgM class appear only after 4-6 weeks, we suggest performing the Elisa and Western Blot Borrelia IgM test after such a time. This test can be done regardless of the antibiotics.
  • Our Center also provides support in the case of tick bites in children – the youngest patients are invited to visit our pediatrician, Dr. Adrian Rzyski.
REMEMBER: Despite the increased number of tick bites in the summer season, we are exposed to them throughout the whole year.