 Re: Tick Paralysis
WTG I did some research and was surprised to see its quite common actually.
Tick paralysis (tick toxicosis) -- one of the eight most common tickborne diseases in the United States (1) -- is an acute, ascending, flaccid motor paralysis that can be confused with Guillain-Barre syndrome, botulism, and myasthenia gravis.
Tick paralysis occurs worldwide and is caused by the introduction of a neurotoxin elaborated into humans during attachment of and feeding by the female of several tick species. Ticks attach to the skin to feed on blood. It is during this feeding process that the toxin enters the bloodstream. The resulting paralysis is ascending (starting in the lower body and moving up) and is similar to that seen in Guillain-Barre syndrome and opposite that seen in botulism and paralytic shellfish poisoning (descending).
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