Ticks and Prevention

Understanding ticks | Prevention of tick bites | Safe tick removal | How to remove a tick

See also Tick Bite First Aid Program

The best prevention for contracting diseases from ticks is to reduce your exposure to potential transmission. In the majority of cases, transmission of Lyme and its associated co-infections is via a tick bite.

Australian patients have reported becoming ill with tick-borne disease symptoms via other avenues of transmission which are not officially recognised (for example, in utero). Find out more on the Lyme Disease Infection page.

Understanding ticks

Ticks are arachnid parasites that feed on the blood of ‘host’ mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

The species most likely to transmit disease in Australia is the Ixodes holocyclus tick, the paralysis tick. Adult paralysis ticks generally measure 5mm in length, but double in size once fed. At least 16 of 70 ticks found in Australia are reported to feed on humans.

Left: Paralysis tick © Queensland Museum

Most ticks have four distinct stages of development; egg, larva, nymph and adult.

Ticks usually lay eggs in leaf litter or mulch. Once hatched, they must eat blood to survive.

Larvae are tiny (1mm) and have only 6 legs. After their first meal, larvae drop off their host and moult to the 8-legged nymphal stage. Nymphs stay small, often < 2mm. A further blood meal allows nymphs to reach maturity. 

How do ticks find hosts?

Unlike their hosts, ticks themselves are not very mobile. However, they have amazing skills for detecting their next host. These include smelling breath and body odours, and sensing body heat, moisture and vibration. Some ticks can even recognise shadows.

Ticks are able to identify well-used paths and will position themselves on grass tips and shrubs. Because they can’t fly or jump, most ticks use their rear legs to grasp onto the plant. They use a behaviour called ‘questing’ whereby they hold their front legs outstretched, ready to climb onto a host that brushes by.

Some ticks will begin to feed immediately, while others will travel around the body, looking for a prime location (e.g., hair, armpits, ears, crotch).

How do ticks spread disease?

While feeding, ticks contract and transmit pathogens through their saliva.

Ticks may secrete saliva while feeding for two reasons:

• It contains anaesthetic properties, which can help ticks avoid detection. That’s one of the reasons why people sometimes don’t remember a bite.
• It contains anticoagulants, which prevent the blood from clotting. This allows ticks to feed for longer.

Which diseases are found in Australian ticks?

“A number of vertebrate-infecting tick-borne organisms and other potentially zoonotic organisms were also identified in tick and wildlife samples, including Anaplasmataceae, Rickettsiaceae, Bartonellaceae, Borreliaceae, Babesiidae, Theileriidae, Hepatozoidae, Trypanosomatidae and various arboviral families.”(1)

There are a handful of officially recognised infections carried by Australian ticks. Because Lyme borrelia and several common co-infections are not, the Federal Government named these sets of ongoing multi-system symptoms as “Debilitating Symptom Complexes Attributed to Ticks” (DSCATT). But this is not a diagnosis.

See also: Ticks of Australia (ticksciencealliance.au)

Allergic reactions to ticks and the ‘alpha-gal’ allergen

The most common allergic condition is tick paralysis. In more recent years, scientists identified the mammalian meat allergy (MMA) caused by an allergen called ‘alpha-gal,’ contracted via tick bites. This results in patients experiencing allergic reactions, including life-threatening anaphylaxis, when eating meat or other animal-derived products. MMA can be contracted alongside other tick-borne pathogens.

For more information on tick allergies visit the Tick Induced Allergies Research Awareness (TIARA) website.

Prevention of tick bites

There are many ways to reduce the risk of being bitten. Before spending time in grassy or bushy areas, in nature, at the beach or at home, please read Prevention of Tick Bites [PDF].

Left: Engorged paralysis tick © Australian Museum

Safe tick removal

See also Tick Bite First Aid Program.

Firstly, don’t panic. Not all ticks carry pathogens that make people sick.

However, it is important to remove the tick/s as soon as possible. A literature review found that in animal models, transmission can occur in less than 16 hours, and the minimum attachment time for transmission of infection has never been established.(2)

If you have a history of allergic reactions to tick bites, a doctor should remove the tick. This should take place at a medical facility, where resuscitation equipment is available.

Current science:
Research supports two main methods for removing attached ticks: fine‑tipped tweezers for prompt extraction, and ether‑containing freeze spray to kill the tick in situ before removal.

Why prompt, low‑stress removal matters:
The key risk with any method is stressing the tick, which can cause it to express more saliva—potentially increasing delivery of toxins, allergens, or pathogens. Ticks inject saliva during feeding; so agitation, such as squeezing or burning, may prompt regurgitation, increasing the risk of allergy/anaphylaxis or infection.

How to remove a tick

Option 1: Fine‑tipped tweezers
Grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible with fine‑tipped tweezers or a fit-for-purpose tick removal tool and pull steadily upward without twisting or jerking. Clean the site afterwards. Systematic reviews find this method effective for minimising mouthpart remnants or when avoiding tick‑borne pathogens is a priority.

Never attempt to kill the tick by burning it, or covering it with methylated spirits, alcohol, petroleum jelly or nail polish remover. Left: Tick removal tweezers from TickEase Australia.

Option 2: Freeze spray
Apply ether‑based freeze spray (e.g., Wart‑Off) directly to the tick from 1 cm away (5 short bursts), wait 5–10 minutes for death (check legs/movement), then remove with fine-tipped tweezers or a tick removal tool if needed.

Larvae and nymph removal

Due to their small size and potential for many tiny ticks to bite the same host at the same time, these can be difficult to remove via the above methods. Individual removal may not be possible.

• The NSW Northern Beaches Council advise to “Use a permethrin cream to kill them and then shave them from your skin.” Find Permethrin at chemists (NB. Permethrin is poisonous to cats and toxic in waterways).
  
• Australian Government agencies recommend using freeze or ether sprays to kill ticks and waiting for them to drop off.
  
• The Australian Association of Bush Regenerators state that “Bicarb soda creates an alkaline environment unfavourable to ticks, encouraging the larvae and nymphs to drop off. Add two cups of bicarb soda in a deep bath. Immerse your whole body, stay soaking for as long as possible.”
  
  They also caution that “Bicarb soda, according to the material safety data sheet ‘May cause skin irritation. Drying or cracking of the skin can occur after prolonged or repeated use.’ Rinse thoroughly after use.”

After a tick bite

1. Store the tick

Store the tick in a ziplock plastic bag. Label the bag with your name, date, site of the bite, and the tick attachment time. Place this in your freezer for safekeeping. At a later date, tick-borne disease research programs may be able to test the tick.

2. Feeling ill after the tick bite

If you notice a rash or become ill (e.g. flu-like symptoms – headaches, fever, aches, swollen glands) following a tick bite, seek treatment as soon as possible to lessen the likelihood of ongoing symptoms.

If you are unable to get an appointment straight away, take photos of rashes and/or other obvious symptoms to show the medical practitioner or infectious disease specialist.

Treatment should continue until symptoms have resolved. Please see Lyme Diagnosis and Treatment and Tick Bite First Aid.

Copyright Lyme Disease Association of Australia

References

1. Gofton AW, Blasdell KR, Taylor C, Banks PB, Michie M, Roy-Dufresne E, Poldy J, Wang J, Dunn M, Tachedjian M, Smith I. Metatranscriptomic profiling reveals diverse tick-borne bacteria, protozoans and viruses in ticks and wildlife from Australia. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2022 Sep;69(5):e2389-e2407. doi: 10.1111/tbed.14581. Epub 2022 May 16. PMID: 35502617; PMCID: PMC9790515.
2. Cook MJ. Lyme borreliosis: a review of data on transmission time after tick attachment. Int J Gen Med. 2014 Dec 19;8:1-8. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S73791. PMID: 25565881; PMCID: PMC4278789.