What to Do If You Are Bitten by a Tick
A Guide for People with Alpha-gal Syndrome
How to Remove a Tick
Try the CDC’s Tick Bot
If you find a tick attached to you, the CDC’s Tick Bot can help you learn how to properly remove it and figure out next steps.
Use Sharp Tweezers
Any sharp, pointed tweezers will do. TickEase tweezers are a popular choice.
How to Correctly Remove Ticks, from the CDC:
If you find a tick attached to your skin, there’s no need to panic—the key is to remove the tick as soon as possible. There are several tick removal devices on the market, but a plain set of fine-tipped tweezers work very well.
How to remove a tick
- Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
- Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don’t twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
- After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Never crush a tick with your fingers. Dispose of a live tick by putting it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet.
Follow up
If you develop a rash or fever within several weeks of removing a tick, see your doctor. Be sure to tell the doctor about your recent tick bite, when the bite occurred, and where you most likely acquired the tick.
Source: CDC Tick Removal
Source: CDC Tick Removal
TERC Video on How to Remove a Tick
In Australia, They Freeze Ticks
Australian AGS expert Dr. Sheryl van Nunen proposes a tick removal method that involves freezing ticks prior to removing them. This method has not been tested on North American ticks and is not endorsed by the CDC for use in the United States.
How NOT to Remove a Tick
How NOT to Remove Ticks
Improper tick removal may increase your risk of developing AGS and tick-borne diseases.
- Do NOT agitate ticks or squeeze their abdomens; this may cause them to eject saliva into the bite site.
- Do NOT apply heat to the ticks or burn them with a hot match.
- Do NOT cover ticks with petroleum jelly, nail polish, alcohol, gasoline or essential oils.
- Do NOT use your bare fingers to remove ticks.
- Do NOT twist the body of the tick.
- Do NOT use blunt, household tweezers. Use sharp, pointy ones.
Do NOT twist ticks
Do NOT burn ticks
Do NOT squeeze ticks
Do NOT use blunt tweezers to remove ticks
Do NOT smother ticks
Do NOT use bare fingers to remove ticks
After Removing Ticks
Immediately After Tick Removal
- Clean the bite area and wash your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water.
- Consider photographing the tick to help with identifying the species.
- If you do not save the tick, flush it down the toilet.
- In your calendar, record:
- The date and location of your tick bites
- The species of tick, if you know it.
- This information may be helpful to your doctor.
CDC Factsheet
What to do after a tick bite PDF
Saving Ticks
- Reasons to save any ticks you remove:
- Have them identified later.
- If develop a tick-borne disease, send them to a lab to be tested.
- Steps for saving ticks
- On an index card, record the date and location where you got the tick.
- Tape the tick securely to the card.
- Put the card and tick in an airtight bag or container
- Put the bag or container in the freezer.
- Alternatively, put the tick in a securely sealed container of rubbing alcohol.
Calling Your Health Provider
- Consider calling your healthcare provider for advice about prophylactic antibiotics.
- Do not delay, call the day you are bitten or as soon as possible, as prophylactic antibiotics need to be taken promptly.
Tick Testing
How to Get a Tick Tested
- The CDC strongly recommends against using tick test results to decide whether to use antibiotics after a tick bite (see below). Nonetheless, having the ticks you remove tested can still provide you with useful information, such as:
- The species of tick.
- Disease-causing organisms and viruses that the tick may be carrying.
- For more information about tick testing see:
- Some of the companies that test ticks include:
The CDC’s Thoughts on Tick Testing
People who have removed a tick sometimes wonder if they should have it tested for evidence of infection. Although some commercial groups offer testing, in general this is not recommended because:
- Laboratories that conduct tick testing are not required to have the high standards of quality control used by clinical diagnostic laboratories. Results of tick testing should not be used for treatment decisions.
- Positive results showing that the tick contains a disease-causing organism do not necessarily mean that you have been infected.
- Negative results can lead to false assurance. You may have been unknowingly bitten by a different tick that was infected.
- If you have been infected, you will probably develop symptoms before results of the tick test are available. If you do become ill, you should not wait for tick testing results before beginning appropriate treatment.
Source: CDC Testing of Ticks
Watch for Symptoms of Tick-borne Disease
The CDC recommends watching for the following symptoms of tick-borne disease for 30 days after tick bites:
- Rash
- Headache
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Muscle pain
- Joint swelling and pain
If you develop any of these symptoms, contact your healthcare provider for advice.
For more information see the CDC Symptoms of Tickborne Illness.
Watch for Alpha-gal Allergy Reactions
Will I get alpha-gal syndrome?
- Most people who are bitten by ticks do not develop alpha-gal syndrome (AGS).
If I am bitten by a lone star tick, should I be tested for alpha-gal IgE?
- Most experts do not recommend routine testing for sensitization to alpha-gal after tick bites. This is because many people will test positive for alpha-gal IgE after a bite, but most will not develop alpha-gal syndrome.
- Experts recommend that only people who develop symptoms of AGS be tested.
How long does take for alpha-gal syndrome to develop?
- AGS usually takes four weeks up to a year to develop, although sometimes onset is faster.
What should I watch for?
- Familiarize yourself with the symptoms of AGS.
- If you develop any symptoms consistent with AGS, written records and photographs will help your physician diagnose you. Record:
- The date and time of day when they occur
- What foods and medications you consumed during the twelve hours before their onset.
- Keep in mind that the symptoms of AGS and other tick-borne diseases can overlap.
- Even if you develop AGS, don’t assume that all the symptoms you experience afterwards are caused by it.
- Talk to your healthcare provider about ruling out tick-borne diseases and other illnesses that may be contributing to your symptoms.
What should I do if I think I have AGS?
- Make an appointment with an allergist.
- Because healthcare healthcare providers know little about AGS, you might want to make an appointment with an expert or check our list of patient-recommended physicians to see if there is an allergist familiar with AGS near you.
- It is important to prepare for your appointment. Read about how to prepare for your appointment here.
I remember finding what I thought was a dog tick on my belly and thinking, “Oh good! It is not a deer tick! I don’t have to worry about Lyme with this one!” HA! Five weeks later, I woke in a full body rash. Four additional weeks later, I was diagnosed with Alpha Gal. Life has been on an unchartered course ever since. However, I remain hopeful and positive!
If You Already Have Alpha-gal Syndrome:
- Tick bites can maintain or lead to increases in the alpha-gal IgE of people with AGS.
- If you already have AGS and are bitten by another tick:
- You may become more sensitive to alpha-gal.
- Your threshold for reactivity may be lowered, meaning that you may react to smaller amounts of alpha-gal.
- You may have to give up foods that you previously tolerated, like dairy, gelatin, or products that contain other ingredients made from mammals.
- Multiple tick bites are even more likely to lead to increased sensitivity.
- Watch for changes in your reactions and take extra precautions in the months following a tick bite.
- Keep in mind that the symptoms of AGS and other tick-borne diseases can overlap. Don’t assume that new symptoms that develop after tick bites are caused by AGS. Talk to your healthcare provider about ruling out tick-borne diseases and other illnesses that may be contributing to your symptoms.
More Information
Ticks and Alpha-gal Syndrome→
Avoiding Tick Bites→
Ticks and Pets→
Tick ID→
Symptoms of AGS→
Diagnosis of AGS→
Additional Resources
General Information
CDC Ticks
Tick Encounter Resource Center
TIC NC
Testing
Ticknology
Tick Encounter Resource Center
Save the Tick
Tick Report
References
1. CDC Ticks
2. Tick Encounter Resource Center
3. Commins SP. Diagnosis & management of alpha-gal syndrome: lessons from 2,500 patients. Expert Review of Clinical Immunology. 2020 Jul 9:1-1.
4. Forestry IE. Ticks of Illinois: biology, bite prevention, and management. Published April 11, 2022. Accessed January 18, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_ViBXofQaU
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