Ticks
Ticks are arachnids that obtain blood for nourishment. There are over 70 species in Australia but only three that cause paralysis: Ixodes holocyclus (almost always the culprit). Ixodes cornuatus and Ixodes hirsti.
Tag tick
Paralysis and a head lump
A 5 year old girl is unable to walk and is becoming progressively weaker. She also complained of a lump on her head. Can you make the diagnosis?
So you’ve pulled off a deer tick
What's the next step? Is it a single dose of 200mg of doxycycline for prevention of Lyme disease, but is it based on solid evidence?