Tick attachment sites.

Objective: The duration of tick attachment is related to the likelihood of disease transmission. To be able to locate and remove an attached tick is important.
Methods: Sixty-seven patients presenting with tick bites to the Karadeniz Technical University emergency department and 3 different first-stage health institutions between April and July 2006 were investigated to determine the distribution of the bites.
Results: Tick attachment site distribution was determined as follows: 9% head-neck, 5% arm, 24% stomach-groin, 7% back, 18% chest-shoulder, 25% leg-foot, and 12% hip.
Conclusions: According to the results of our study, 20% of ticks attach to regions of the body that patients cannot themselves see. After travel in endemic areas, a complete inspection of the entire body surface is required to achive early tick removal.