Besides Ticks, does anyone know of any other insects attach themselves to your skin and leave a spiral track?

Question

My friend had a bug attach itself to her side and it was 1/8 of an inch in diamater and was brown. She said it was a perfect circle besides it's head and it was hard like a beetle. She also said that the track around it spiraled kind of around the bug and it was red all the way. The only thing I could think of was a tick, but we looked that up and coudn't find anything that she said resembled it. So, we were wondering if anyone else might have some suggestions just in case it was dangerous?

Answer 1

There are a couple of parasites that might fit the bill, but I'd need more details. First off, where are you located? That would narrow the field down a touch.

I don't understand what you mean by "a spiral track" or "the track around it spiraled around the bug". Doesn't make sense to me.

Most likely, based on your description of the approximate size, it was one of several varieties of tick -- in the U.S. there are the common American Dog tick, the Deer tick, the Rocky Mountain tick, the Lone Star tick, the Wood tick . . . and those are just the ones found in North America. One site indicates that there are 12 different tick species in Ohio alone! Yuck! http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2073.html

Perhaps the photos on these sites will help:
http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegal/ticks/
http://www.lyme.org/gallery/ticks.html

Other exoparasites that could be the problem -- if she was scratching at the affected site before she looked at it, it could be the irritation from Harvest Mites, (aka chiggers), with a small scab. The chigger is very small and is very irritating. See here:
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2100.html

Answer 2

The political tick, they will suck the freedom from your body

Answer 3

Pubic lice

Answer 4

leeches