ABSTRACT

Determination of the properties of ticks, which are the vectors of many infectious diseases and the patients with tick bites are important for the prevention of these diseases. For tist reason, the purpose of this study is to determine the important properties of the cases presenting with tick bites to Dokuz Eylul University Hospital and of the removed ticks from the cases.

Two hundred seventy three of 294 patients, who presented with tick bites to Dokuz Eylül University Hospital, Izmir, were included in the study. Demographic parameters, symptoms related to tick borne diseases of the patients and the species and other characteristics of ticks removed from humans, also the tick population in the related habitat were investigated.

Removed ticks were classified into five genera. The overwhelmingly dominant genera were Hyalomma and it comprised 52.4% of the collection. The majority of these ticks were nymphs. The majority (11.4%) of removed adult ticks were Rhipicephalus sanguineus (R. sanguineus). In most cases (60.7%) the ticks were removed from the patients by medical staff.

There was no significant difference in removing ticks without damage between the health personnel and the patient or relatives (p=0.133).

Keywords: Tick, human, Hyalomma, İzmir, CCHF