How to avoid tick-borne diseases - Mushroom Hunting and Identification

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Hygrocybe
Walkin Wonderland

Registered: 06/06/09
Posts: 1,227
Last seen: 2 months, 21 days

How to avoid tick-borne diseases

1
#18059851 - 04/04/13 08:42 PM (10 years, 1 month ago)

Mushrooms and ticks share habitat and favor the same moist conditions. Ticks carry numerous debilitating diseases that can be difficult to treat, and a doctor may not recognize the symptoms of these infections in either the acute or chronic stages. Have a look at the Lyme disease thread if you'd like to see how shroomers are coping with tick-borne diseases.

Ideally, you should not find ticks on yourself when adequately protected by repellents and insecticides. Nymphal ticks are difficult to see, and the larva (nearly impossible to see without close examination) can be infectious as well. Removal of the tick within 24 hours of a bite lowers the risk of infection, but there are still conditions like alpha-gal allergy that are transmitted by saliva.

A combination of permethrin and DEET offers the most effective protection. Permethrin can be purchased in high concentrations and diluted (0.5% is used for clothing) to make treatment more economical. Sulphur is the best organic option if you don't mind your clothing permanently smelling of it, as well as residual odor on your body after washing. Gaiters are flexible garmets that can be worn over the lower legs and shoes to prevent debris from falling into shoes when pant legs are tucked into socks, some are sold pre-treated with permethrin.

DEET works against mosquitoes about 2 hours at 10% and 5 hours at ≥23.8%. It damages plastics and polyester, and is absorbed through the skin. Permethrin lasts much longer, up to six weeks, but is more toxic to mammals when wet, and can only be applied to clothing or gear. Sunlight and oxygen cause it to break down.

In addition to Lyme disease, you should know the symptoms of other infections ticks carry, which may be subtle and change over time.

Areas with fewer reports should not be assumed any safer, because doctors in those locations may be less likely to consider TBDs as a differential diagnosis.

http://www.tickencounter.org has more information about prevention.

Clothing

Long pants. The legs should be long enough to reach the ground behind the heel while barefoot. The reason for this is to have enough length to always cover the ankles when the knee is raised.
Full brim hat. These are sold as fishing or boonie hats.
Long sleeved shirt if it isn't too hot.
Gaiters to cover the lower legs and entry via the shoes. There are varieties designed to slow ticks as they attempt to crawl, increasing their exposure to permethrin.
Stockings. RynoSkin is a specialty line that makes shirts as well.

Procedure

Tuck your shirt into your pants.
Spray all exposed skin, except face, with ~12% DEET. Cover your face with the hat when spraying the neck. Reapply after 2 hours.
Spray socks, hat, and other clothing with >23% DEET. Reapply before 5 hours.
Use permethrin on gear.

Bites will itch if you have previous exposure to tick bites, check carefully if an itch is persistent. I've been bitten on the webbing of my hands and toes, and twice on an elbow, always after waiting more than 5 hours to reapply DEET. Ticks prefer these areas where the skin is softer or more humid. Use tweezers to slowly and firmly pull the tick loose by its mouth; don't twist, yank, crush, douse with alcohol, or cleanse with fire. The tick may regurgitate if you harm it during removal, such as by grasping its abdomen, increasing your chances of infection. Clean the bite area after removal.

Use a mirror to check all areas of the body after returning from the field. Delousing can be a fun way to build trust and intimacy with a partner. Put your clothes into the wash immediately, or into a closed bag treated with permethrin. Dry clothes on high heat for an hour to kill any ticks that came through the wash. Some suggest putting clothes directly into the dryer, though this isn't practical if your clothing ends up muddy.

Edited by Hygrocybe (05/06/18 03:34 PM)

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