Question: Tick paralysis is a rare condition that can lead to significant morbidity and death is undiagnosed. Most cases of tick paralysis have been reported from Australia or North America including in the United States—the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountain states, and the Southeast— and southwestern Canada. In North American which species of tick has been implicated as the most common vector causing tick paralysis?
Answer: The cited reference reports “In North America the Dermacen- tor andersoni tick has been implicated most often. Other causative species in North America include Dermacentor variabilis, Amblyomma americanum, Amblyomma maculatum, and Ixodes scapularis. In Australia the majority of cases are caused by Ixodes holoyclus. (Pecina CA. Tick Paralysis. 2012 Seminars in Neurology 32(5):531-532)