Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 20, 2026
Feeding of Ticks on Animals for Transmission and Xenodiagnosis in Lyme Disease Research
Published on: August 31, 2013
Electrodiagnostic Abnormalities in Tick Paralysis: A Case Report and Review of Literature
1*Medical Student, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA; and †Department of Pediatrics and Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
Objective:
To study the electrodiagnostic abnormalities in tick paralysis.
Methods:
A 7-year-old girl with acute onset proximal muscle weakness and an engorged dog tick attached to her scalp was evaluated.
Results:
The routine motor nerve conduction study showed normal compound muscle action potential amplitude. The stimulated jitter analysis of the orbicularis oculi muscle showed normal jitter with no blocking. The quantitative electromyography of the proximal muscles showed decreased mean duration of the motor unit potentials.
Conclusion:
We propose toxin-mediated direct skeletal muscle involvement as one of the reasons for muscle weakness in tick paralysis.
