Giant tick Hyalomma marginatum: How dangerous is it?

The Hyalomma tick is originally native to parts of Asia and Africa. It is now spreading in a popular holiday area in northern Italy. You can find out what you need to know about this tick species here.

The Hyalomma tick is not called the “giant tick” for nothing: it is between four and six millimeters long, but can reach a size of around two centimeters when fully engorged, making it significantly larger than the most common tick species in Germany, the common dog tick. It also has eyes and, unlike the common dog tick, actively moves towards its prey over many meters. The reason for its current spread in northern Italy is the rising temperatures as a result of the climate crisis.

Hyalomma tick: spreading due to the climate crisis

The Hyalomma tick has now settled in the popular holiday province of Trieste in northern Italy. It probably found its way to Europe via migratory birds, which regularly spread the tick larvae in European countries. However, the foreign ticks do not usually survive the winter in Europe.

Due to the climate crisis, the (mild) winters have become so short that the Hyalomma tick has been able to settle in Trieste. But the giant tick has not only spread there: it can now also be found in Portugal, Spain, southern France, Croatia and Greece. Incidentally, it lives less in tall grasses like the common wood tick, but prefers open and sunny areas with stones and short grasses.

The Hyalomma tick has also been spotted in Germany. It is also documented that some Hyalomma species have already survived the winter in Germany. However, researchers do not currently believe that the giant tick has already settled in Germany, Alexander Lindau from the University of Hohenheim told Spiegel. However, as temperatures rise, the tick species could spread more widely here too.

How dangerous is the Hyalomma tick?

While the common wood tick is known to transmit Lyme disease and TBE, the Hyalomma tick transmits spotted fever and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF).

• When treated with medication, typhus is usually mild and manifests itself in aches and pains, headaches, fever and rashes. If the disease is not treated, however, it can cause serious complications and even be fatal.

• CCHF can sometimes manifest itself in high fever, digestive problems and flu-like symptoms. If bleeding occurs, this disease can also lead to death. However, it is often mild and can be treated with medication.

There is currently no vaccine for either disease. The “tick vaccination” commonly used in this country, which protects against TBE, is therefore of no use against the Hyalomma tick.

However, Prof. Dr. Reisinger from the Medical Faculty in Rostock explained to the ADAC that it is currently very unlikely that people in Central Europe will become infected with CCHF through a bite from a Hyalomma tick. So far, no cases of infection with the disease have been confirmed in Germany. There has been one suspected case of typhus so far.