Domestic animals with no previous contact or even no recent contact with the adult female Australian paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus, may become paralysed and die after visiting a tick-infested area. Although I. holocyclus is called the Australian paralysis tick, some other ticks may cause paralysis to animals and man. For example, in Tasmania, where I. holocyclus is absent, tick paralysis may occur due to other species of Ixodes. The signs and symptoms caused by the presynaptic neurotoxin contained in the tick saliva, holocyclotoxin, may be summarised as follows:
- loss of appetite and voice
- incoordination
- ascending flaccid paralysis
- ocular irritation
- excess salivation and vomiting
- respiratory distress
- asymmetric pupillary dilation
- frequently, death
The detailed features of tick envenomation and its management is discussed in more detail on the different species pages:
Contributed by R. Brooks. Last updated: January 2008
