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Alternative Earthcare Tree and Lawn Systems
Tick Paralysis
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Overview:
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Paralysis resulting from a tick
byte.
Hard- and soft- bodied female
ticks are thought to produce a neurotoxin capable of causing paralysis in
children. 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). Affected
children develop an unsteady gait (ataxia) followed several days later by
lower extremity weakness that gradually moves up to involve the upper limbs.
Paralysis may cause loss of respiratory ability and ventilatory assistance
may become necessary.
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Vector:
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American Dog Tick (Dermacentor
variabilis)
Rocky Mountain Wood Tick (Dermacentor andersoni) Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) |
Causative
Agent:
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Neurotoxin excreted from the
tick's salivary gland.
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Endemic
Area:
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Rare reports across the entire
United States, including Dutchess County, NY, Suffolk County, NY, and Nassau
County, NY.
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Incubation
Period:
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5-7 days
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Classic
Symptoms:
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Fatigue
Flacid paralysis Tongue and facial paralysis Convulsions Death |
Lab
Test(s):
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None
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Treatment:
Removal of the entire tick.
Call us at 631-499-4300
