One day, a 21-year-old woman from Dharan, Nepal, suddenly developed ear pain, hearing loss, and dizziness. The cause turned out to be a tick lodged in her ear canal.
The woman had been experiencing sharp pain in her right ear, along with progressive hearing loss, vertigo, nausea, and tinnitus, or ringing in the ear.
These symptoms arose seemingly out of nowhere about a week before her examination. During the exam, doctors at the B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in Dharan noticed that the patient's right ear canal was swollen and congested.
After conducting a test, the results revealed "severe to profound" hearing loss in the ear. This likely meant that the nerves responsible for detecting sound were not functioning properly.
When the doctors took a closer look, they found a foreign body lodged in the skin of the inner ear. Shockingly, it was a dead tick.
"This case underscores the importance of prompt clinical assessment and treatment in cases of aural [relating to the ear] tick infestation," wrote the authors of the study.
These kinds of infestations can lead to facial paralysis and permanent hearing loss due to the fact that tick saliva contains toxins that cause damage to nerves.
The medical team stated that the patient's ear pain was most likely not caused by the actual tick. Instead, it was from an enzyme in the pest's saliva that gave rise to inflammation.
According to the British Medical Journal, the inflammation can lead to acute labyrinthitis, an infection of the inner ear that can affect balance and trigger nausea and tinnitus.
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The team used a suctioning tool and forceps to carefully remove the dead tick from the woman's ear. They then prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs.
One month later, the woman's symptoms went away. Tick infestations of the ear are extremely rare, but when they do occur, they are very serious.
The doctors noted that ticks release neurotoxins inhibiting acetylcholine, which is a chemical messenger involved in muscle control.
In general, ticks spread all kinds of diseases to humans through their bites, including Lyme disease and the Powassan virus, which has the potential to be fatal.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends taking the proper measures to protect yourself from getting bitten by ticks.
Prevent tick bites by avoiding wooded areas with tall grass and leaf litter. Additionally, treat your clothing and gear with federally regulated insect repellents like DEET.
Finally, cover your skin with light-colored clothing and tuck your pants into your socks when walking in areas where ticks might live.
Make sure to check yourself and your pets for ticks after any outdoor activity in areas with ticks. Shower soon after coming indoors.
Ticks like to go for warm places like the groin, armpit, or head once they're on a person's body, so pay special attention to those regions.