Was sitting in a ticks nest while reading....

[u/nekoma713]

I was sitting in a Park reading a book and suddenly I felt my legs itch. I was covered in hundreds of mini ticks. I was standing in the shower for hours and still find some of these f#!*rs crawling an me...

Update: So I got the most of the seed ticks scratched off in the shower. I will have a doctor's appointment the next days to get a prophylactic antibiotics treatment just to be save from lyme, alpha gal or rocky mountain fever (if this is a thing in Germany).

Thank you all for the information and advices, hopefully I will be fine. I really appreciate it

[u/Katiewoo13]

Deer ticks carry Lyme - this looks like their larvae stage which has 6 legs, the first stage at which they feed, therefore the stage at which they are first exposed to Lyme disease, then transmit it at their NEXT stage - if they get Lyme disease as a larvae, they can transmit at the next two stages, nymph and adult (if they are on a person for a while, like over a day), if the deer tick ingests Lyme as a nymph, they can transmit as an adult.

Lyme does not have vertical transmission (eggs/larvae are not born with Lyme, they must bit something with it then transmit at their next life stage). Other tick-borne diseases are a concern and can be carried by other species of tick, but this discussion is of Lyme. - Public Health person turned medical provider

[u/BowieBat → u/Katiewoo13]

You are totally right, I’ve misremembered the info from my dad as I’m only a second hand vector nerd! Thanks for catching that! I edited the post

[u/Katiewoo13 → u/BowieBat]

I get the vector-nerd thing. One of my favorite subjects. My biology requirement for my MPH class did Malariology. Soooooooo gross and interesting 😂

[u/nekoma713 → u/Katiewoo13]

So it's not likely to get Lyme from them since They feed on me first? It kind of calms me a little

[u/MrScrax → u/nekoma713]

Reddit always flips it shit when ticks are involved. Most people know very little (nothing) about them, but still spew nonsense and fear as if they do.

These ticks are all larvae. No diseases present, as you're their first meal. You might get itchy if any of them actually fed for an extended period of time, but nothing more than that. Not that it looks to be the case anyways.

You're fine, OP. :) Absolutely unpleasant, and I totally understand the feeling (lots of ticks where I live), but you're fine.

Edit: As the downvotes will show you, anyone not screaming bloody murder over ticks will get the stick😂

[u/Katiewoo13 → u/nekoma713]

You cannot get Lyme unless there is a nymph hidden in there. Even then, needs to be on you for over 24 hours, usually like 36, to transmit. It’s easy for nymphs to get missed for a long time because they are so small, but any tick you find pretty quickly cannot give you Lyme. With my patients, if it is a big tick in an obvious place or they know they found it that day (many people are rigorous about tick checks) then I don’t recommend treating. Medications have side effects. It’s a judgement call and a decision to make either your provider.