Ticks are present in Italy and can attach to humans and animals, potentially transmitting various pathogens. Understanding their activity, common species, and preventive measures can help minimize exposure and health concerns.
Tick Presence and Common Species
Italy hosts 36 tick species across seven genera. Ixodes ricinus (wood tick or castor bean tick) and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (brown dog tick) are particularly prevalent and medically significant. Other notable species include Hyalomma marginatum and Dermacentor reticulatus.
Ticks are found in natural environments with humidity, warmth, and vegetation. Ixodes ricinus thrives in cool, wet climates, often in dense grass, shrubs, and woodlands, including mountainous regions. Rhipicephalus sanguineus prefers warmer, drier conditions and sparser vegetation, frequently found near human dwellings or kennels due to its association with dogs. While traditionally rural, ticks are increasingly reported in urban environments across Italy, influenced by warmer winters and shifting habitats.
Tick activity in Italy generally begins in spring, continuing through summer and into autumn. Most tick bites occur during spring and summer. While active above 5°C, their season can extend due to climate change, making their presence less predictable even into mild winters.
Diseases Transmitted by Ticks
Tick bites can transmit various infections. In Italy, several tick-borne diseases are of public health concern. Lyme disease (Borreliosis), caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato bacteria, is primarily transmitted by Ixodes ricinus.
Symptoms include a distinctive expanding red rash, often a “bull’s-eye,” along with headaches and joint or muscle pain. About half of infected individuals may not experience symptoms. This disease is endemic in various parts of Italy, including mountainous areas and suburban plains like the Po River Valley.
Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a viral infection mainly transmitted by Ixodes ricinus. Initial symptoms often resemble the flu, including fever, headache, fatigue, and muscle pain, typically appearing 7 to 14 days after a bite. In some cases, TBE can progress to cause brain or spinal cord inflammation, leading to severe neurological symptoms. Most TBE cases in Italy are concentrated in northeastern regions like Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Veneto.
Mediterranean spotted fever (Rickettsiosis) is another tick-borne illness in Italy, primarily transmitted by the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. This bacterial infection, caused by Rickettsia conorii, can manifest as a skin ulcer with a black crust at the bite site, accompanied by red discoloration. Other symptoms may include swollen lymph nodes, headache, and muscle or joint pain.
Prevention and What to Do After a Bite
Preventive measures significantly reduce the risk of tick bites outdoors in Italy. Wear light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and long trousers tucked into socks to make ticks visible and prevent them from reaching your skin. Apply insect repellents containing DEET or picaridin to exposed skin and treat clothing with permethrin. In tick-prone areas, stay on marked trails and avoid walking through tall grass or dense vegetation.
After outdoor activities, conduct a thorough tick check. Inspect your entire body, including hidden areas like the scalp, ears, armpits, groin, and behind the knees. Showering shortly after returning indoors can wash off unattached ticks. If you find a tick on your clothing, placing items in a tumble dryer on high heat for an hour can eliminate them.
Should a tick bite occur, prompt and proper removal minimizes infection risk. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure, avoiding twisting or jerking, which could leave mouthparts embedded. After removal, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with soap and water or an antiseptic.
Monitor the bite site for several weeks for rash, fever, or flu-like symptoms, and seek medical attention if these develop or if you cannot remove the entire tick. If a tick was attached for over 36 hours, preventive antibiotics might be considered within 72 hours of removal.