Personal parasite.
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Personal parasite.
I spotted this tiny Tick feasting on my arm after a walk in the forest so I got out my trusty "O'Tom Tick Twister", pulled it out and took it's picture with a Canon M50 MkII through a Raynox 5320pro tube lens and Olympus 20xLMPlanFl.
Dave
Ixodes tick mouthparts.
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Dave
Ixodes tick mouthparts.
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- MarkSturtevant
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Re: Personal parasite.
Mark Sturtevant
Dept. of Still Waters
Dept. of Still Waters
Re: Personal parasite.
Wow, very impressive that you were able to get it off of you with the mouthparts intact. Nice photo too!
Re: Personal parasite.
Thanks mark and Lou,
they are very common around here and those "Tick Twisters" do a great job of getting them off easily without leaving anything behind.
Dave
they are very common around here and those "Tick Twisters" do a great job of getting them off easily without leaving anything behind.
Dave
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Re: Personal parasite.
I've probably seen them close up before, but don't remember the mouth parts looking like that. Of course the pictures I saw probably weren't from the UK, so probably a different species of tick.
We used to get them out in the field in Missouri during ROTC field exercises. Back then ('76-'80) macrophotography as something I could do myself hadn't even entered my consciousness.
Excellent image.
We used to get them out in the field in Missouri during ROTC field exercises. Back then ('76-'80) macrophotography as something I could do myself hadn't even entered my consciousness.
Excellent image.
Re: Personal parasite.
Thanks Deanimator.Deanimator wrote: ↑Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:46 amI've probably seen them close up before, but don't remember the mouth parts looking like that. Of course the pictures I saw probably weren't from the UK, so probably a different species of tick......
I think that they are all pretty similar. The main mouth parts are really just the barbed hypostome which penetrates the skin and the palps which are normally folded against the hypostome (partly to protect it I suppose). When biting the palps fold away from the hypostome to facilitate penetration and that’s the position they are in here.
Dave
Re: Personal parasite.
It was about three days after my walk that I noticed this tick. It’s now a week later and I had the violent shivers last night and neck and head pain this morning. The doc suspects Lyme disease so a blood test in the morning and 3 weeks antibiotics!!
Dave
Dave
Re: Personal parasite.
I'm very sorry, at least you took the adequate revenge with its magnificent post mortem posed portrait.
Best wishes.
Pau
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Re: Personal parasite.
Oof, I am really sorry to hear that. I haven't had lyme disease but I got a red meat allergy from one of them. I am really not a fan overall, though I have to admit the portrait makes them look kind of rad.
Re: Personal parasite.
Thanks!
I feel fine now, the neck and headache lasted most of the second day but that was it I hope. It will be interesting to see the blood test results, it's an antibody test and they aren't so effective early on. I was thinking about trying to spot some of the bacteria involved (the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferby) by looking at a drop of blood but apparently they are very dispersed and that's why a PCR (bacterial DNA) test for active infection isn't reliable enough.
DAve
I feel fine now, the neck and headache lasted most of the second day but that was it I hope. It will be interesting to see the blood test results, it's an antibody test and they aren't so effective early on. I was thinking about trying to spot some of the bacteria involved (the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferby) by looking at a drop of blood but apparently they are very dispersed and that's why a PCR (bacterial DNA) test for active infection isn't reliable enough.
DAve
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Re: Personal parasite.
I'm lucky I missed all of that.
Good luck.
Re: Personal parasite.
Thanks! Great to see you have your gear set up and working again after your very traumatic year!
Dave
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Re: Personal parasite.
Re: Personal parasite.
Congrats!! very nice indeed!!! perfect lighting, what did you use?
Re: Personal parasite.
Thanks.
I used a couple of very diffused flash units set at shallow angle.
Dave
I used a couple of very diffused flash units set at shallow angle.
Dave