IMAGES IN EMERGENCY MEDICINE
Wood tick
Department Emergency Medicine, Lewisham Hospital, London, UK
Correspondence to:
Dr David Utting, Department Emergency Medicine, Lewisham Hospital, Lewisham High Street, London SE13 6LH, UK; david.utting@gmail.com
Accepted 4 September 2006
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
A 46-year-old man presented to the emergency department having noticed in the shower that morning an itchy black spot with some surrounding erythema on his genitals. Further enquiry revealed he had been enjoying the summer heat in shorts while walking in Hutt Wood, Southampton, the day before. Examination revealed a 2 mm live tick burrowed in the dorsum of his penis (
figs 1 and 2). The tick was removed with splinter forceps and the patient was prescribed chloramphenicol ointment for local use. The Microbiology Reference Laboratory identified the insect as a wood tick (Dermacentor variabilis). Vaseline and dressings are thought to be ineffective in removing the mandible; caustic applications can damage surrounding skin.
Figure 1 Live tick burrowed in the dorsum of the patient’s penis. Informed consent was obtained for publication of this figure.
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Figure 2 Close up of tick. Informed consent was obtained for publication of this figure.
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