You can recognize a bite from the Asian tiger mosquito by these symptoms
As the name suggests, the Asian tiger mosquito has its original habitat in the South and Southeast Asian (sub) tropics. Due to climate change, it has been dragged around the world through travel activities and goods transport in recent years.
This mosquito is a potential carrier of the Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika viruses, all of which can cause serious disease.
You will recognize a sting by these symptoms
In general, the bites of different mosquitoes are not very easy to tell apart. In addition, everyone reacts differently to a mosquito bite. The extent of the reaction also depends on whether the mosquito was infected with a pathogen or not. As a rule of thumb, the stronger the body's response, the more serious the infection.
How sensible it is to precisely identify the sting remains questionable, since even with an infection with the pathogens mentioned, only a small proportion of patients show symptoms and these can only be treated symptomatically.
General criteria for a mosquito bite, which also apply to the bite of the Asian tiger mosquito, are:
Swelling is a classic sign of inflammation. In the process, more fluid passes from the inside of the vessel into the tissue. In the case of a mosquito bite, this happens as a reaction to certain components of the mosquito's saliva. This is transmitted during the bite and, among other things, dilutes the blood so that it is easier for the mosquito to suckle blood. The saliva can also contain pathogens.
Depending on the reaction, the swelling may only affect the puncture site or the size of your palms.
If the other symptoms mentioned also occur, this can indicate an infection of the mosquito bite and you should consult a doctor for clarification.
Learn more about the Swelling after a mosquito bite.
Redness is also one of the classic signs of inflammation. In the area of the sting, the body reacts by releasing messenger substances, including histamine.
This causes the vessels to widen so that blood flow to the affected area is increased. This ensures that the introduced toxins are flushed out faster and the healing area is supplied with the necessary substances.
Outwardly, these processes manifest themselves in the form of redness and overheating.
The unpleasant itching that a mosquito bite brings with it is also mainly due to the released histamine. Because the immune system does not know the substances in the saliva of the Asian tiger mosquito, it often reacts violently.
Even if it is difficult, you should definitely not give in to the itching and start scratching. That only leads to infections and scars. Instead, you should cool the sting. This not only helps against the itching, but also the swelling, redness and overheating.
Inform yourself, what to do about an itchy mosquito bite is.
Symptoms of dengue fever
An infection with the dengue virus is asymptomatic in 90% of cases, which means the patient does not even notice it. 10% of the patients develop symptomatic dengue fever, especially children are affected by severe symptomatic courses.
The symptoms can be divided into three stages.
Read more about Dengue fever and its treatment.
The first stage lasts about 1-2 days. It is characterized by:
- Flu-like symptoms (sudden onset, high fever, feeling very sick)
- Joint and muscle pain in the area of the spine and extremities (hence the name "bone breaker fever")
- a headache
Stage II extends from day 3-5. Typical for this are:
- Renewed rise in fever after a short fever-free period
- Measles-like rash with swelling of the lymph nodes in various parts of the body
The third stage is reached after about a week. At this stage, symptoms usually go away.
In 1–2% of cases, however, dengue hemorrhagic fever occurs. That is having an acute shock syndrome
- Low blood platelet count (thrombopenia)
- and consequently an increased tendency to bleeding (hemorrhagic diathesis), especially in the form of punctiform skin bleeding (petechiae).
Symptoms of Chikungunya fever
The symptoms of Chikungunya fever are very similar to those of Dengue fever. After an incubation period of approx. Three to seven days, the result is a rapidly rising high fever with pronounced muscle and joint pain. Also like the other symptoms mentioned above
- a rash,
- an increased tendency to bleed,
- Headache or
- Lymph node swelling can occur.
The fever lasts an average of three days and the illness itself lasts about one to two weeks. While an asymptomatic course is also possible, severe courses are extremely rare.
Infection of the tiger mosquito bite
Like any other mosquito bite, the Asian tiger mosquito bite can become infected. This inflammation of the mosquito bite is due to the body's defense reaction described above. Infection may or may not occur depending on the body's individual response and the amount of secretion injected. Many people also have an allergic reaction to the bite.
Find out more about the allergic reaction in our articles:
- Allergic reaction to a mosquito bite
- How do you recognize an allergy to mosquito bites?
An infection usually occurs when the mosquito was infected with a pathogen and passed it on to its host.
Excessive scratching can also cause local inflammation, as the wound is permanently contaminated and opened.
Typical symptoms of an infection are redness, swelling, overheating, and pain. As long as the inflammation is limited to the puncture site, it is sufficient to cool it. However, if the infection spreads, we advise you to consult a doctor.
Read, what to do with an infected sting and when it becomes dangerous.
Blood poisoning after a sting
Blood poisoning (also called sepsis) occurs when pathogens or their poisons (toxins) penetrate the organism. If the immune system is impaired or the pathogen is particularly aggressive, the pathogens or toxins can be washed out into the entire bloodstream. This creates an extremely strong immune reaction throughout the body, which is accompanied by inflammatory processes, oxygen deficiency in organs and circulatory disorders. In the worst case, organ damage and ultimately even death can occur.
If you have a high fever, severe inflammatory reactions at the injection site or a pronounced feeling of illness, you should consult a doctor. This can decide whether the patient is infected with the Dengue, Chikungunya or Zika virus, has an allergic reaction or actually blood poisoning. It is difficult for a layperson to differentiate here.
In principle, circulatory problems and, in particular, impaired consciousness can be an important indicator of sepsis.
Find out more about the Blood poisoning after a mosquito bite.
Do I have to report if I have been stung?
There is no obligation to report after a bite because a bite does not automatically mean infection with one of the pathogens mentioned.
According to the Infection Protection Act, there is an obligation to report by name if there is a suspicion of illness, illness or death from a virus-related hemorrhagic fever. In the case of direct and indirect detection of pathogens causing hemorrhagic fever, there is also an obligation to report by name, provided that the evidence is indicative of an acute infection.
However, the notification will be made by your treating doctor.