Itchy bites that appeared overnight, in a top-floor flat where pigeons used to nest? The pigeon tick lives in pigeon roosts in buildings and bites people when its usual host is gone. Some people react strongly to its saliva. Our test checks for IgE sensitisation to the main pigeon tick allergen, Arg r 1, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components.
Argas reflexus is a soft tick that lives with feral pigeons in buildings. It hides in cracks near nests by day and feeds at night. It is a different animal from the woodland ticks you pick up on a walk, which carry Lyme disease.
Pigeon ticks can survive for years without a meal. When pigeons are driven out or a roost is cleaned, hungry ticks can wander through walls, ceilings and gaps into rooms nearby and bite people while they sleep. That is why cases often follow building work, pigeon control or a move into a top-floor flat.
Most people notice itchy, red, swollen bites in the morning, often on the arms, neck or face. In sensitised people, research describes reactions beyond the bite: hives across the body, swelling of the face, trouble breathing or a drop in blood pressure, sometimes within minutes of a night-time bite.
Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or feeling faint after a bite is an emergency. Call 112 (EU) or your local emergency number. Do not wait for a test. Anyone who has had a reaction beyond the bite site should see a doctor or allergist afterwards.
IgE to Arg r 1 shows sensitisation to the pigeon tick. It does not predict how strong the next reaction would be, and a negative result does not make bites harmless. If you have had a strong reaction, a doctor or allergist puts your history and results together.
The other half of the answer is the building. A pest-control professional can find and treat the roost. That is about your home, not a diagnosis.
The lab measures IgE to Arg r 1, the dominant allergen of the pigeon tick, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components. Each value gets a class from Negative to Very high on the lab report. For bites, any reaction beyond the bite site is a doctor topic whatever the class.
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One finger-prick sample checks IgE to 300 allergens and allergen components, from birch and peanut to cat and house dust mite. Post it to the lab, and about 5 days after it arrives you get a value for every one. Our plain-English guide shows you how to read them. €399 in total, €1.33 per allergen.
Yes. Pigeon ticks normally feed on pigeons, but when their hosts are gone they can move into nearby rooms and bite people at night. Bites often follow pigeon removal or work on a roof or attic.
Severe allergic reactions to pigeon tick bites are documented in research. Swelling of the throat, trouble breathing or feeling faint is an emergency: call 112 (EU) or your local emergency number. Afterwards, see a doctor or allergist.
No. The pigeon tick is a soft tick that lives in buildings. Lyme disease is spread by woodland hard ticks. This test measures IgE to a pigeon tick protein, not infections.
