tick, マダニ, tique

Last night, I found what appeared to be a white sesame seed on my arm. I tried to brush it off, while wondering to myself, when was the last time we cooked with sesame? The sesame seed would not budge, and upon closer inspection, I found to my dismay that it had LEGS on it. I called my partner, who recognized it as a tick.

Yuck.

The problem came next: what to do? My partner, whose primary language is Japanese, learned via Japanese wikipedia that I should not remove it, but rather, see a dermatologist as soon as possible. He then proceeded to apply alcohol, in an attempt to drown it (he found this on the internet, too). When I searched the internet in English, I found that I should remove it ASAP. The French-language wikipedia warns AGAINST application of alcohol, as it may irritate the tick to the point of regurgitation of bacteria into the bloodstream. What to do?

Now, having obtained two degrees in anthropology, I know that illnesses are perceived and cured differently around the world. Also, it is most likely that the ticks that exist in Japan, the US and in France are different and thus require different approaches. But I was not prepared for such divergent options offered to us via the resources available.

Needless to say, we promptly put poison (in the form of frontline, a product for flea and tick control) on our beloved dog last night, the most likely culprit of this whole mess. I also must monitor myself carefully to make sure that I do not succumb to some infectious disease. Wish me luck!