What Is the Best Way to Remove a Hard Tick?
The safest and most effective way to remove an attached tick is to grasp it behind the mouthparts with forceps and pull gently and steadily until the tick releases its hold. Latex or similar types of skin-tight gloves may be used. Other types of gloves may be less effective and less safe because they may squash the tick, releasing body fluids that may harbor pathogens directly into the feeding wound. The attachment site of the tick should be washed thoroughly with warm soapy water and rubbing alcohol to remove any possible pathogens. The removed tick should be saved for identification or disposed of in a sealable plastic bag in the garbage or flushed down a toilet. Recall that the barbed mouthparts of the tick help to anchor it in the flesh of its host. In addition, ticks secrete compounds in their saliva that help to cement them in the feeding wound. Pulling too strongly or twisting while attempting to remove a tick may result in tearing of the tick, leaving the hypostome embedded in
