ABSTRACT
Tick paralysis has been recognized for over 50 years; 43 species of ticks in 10 different genera have been incriminated. Tick paralysis in humans progresses as follows: signs are not noted until 5 to 7 d after the tick has started to feed. Initially, there is paresis of the legs, progressing to ataxia and total loss of motor function. Diagnosis is difficult unless a tick is found. Tick paralysis should be a factor in a differential diagnosis of any animal that is para- or tetraplegic, yet is bright and alert. No analytic method to identify the toxin is available. Removal of all the ticks produces full recovery in a few minutes to days, if bulbar paralysis has not occurred. If tick paralysis is diagnosed before bulbar paralysis occurs and the tick(s) are removed, recovery is uneventful in all locations except Australia. Paralysis caused by Ixodes holocyclus involves a long recovery period.
