From Ian Backhouse, Gosport, Hampshire, UK
I was fascinated by your article on the increasing distribution of Lyme disease (1 April, p 20). But I would take issue with your advice on what to do if you find a tick. Using tweezers could squeeze the tick body and inject the contents of its gut into your skin. This could inject you with the disease-causing bacterium from the gut.
A better method is to use a tick remover, as found in pet shops. Failing this, a loop of very fine thread should be passed between your skin and the body of the tick – easier said than done – then tightened so that the body is not squeezed in the removal process.
The editor writes:
• The US Centers for Disease Control suggests you use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible… and not twist or jerk the tick (bit.ly/NStweezers). Your methods may be safer still.
Advertisement
