A 5-year-old Cincinnati, Ohio, girl suffered from temporary
paralysis following a tick bite, her family says.
Averey Mell was taken to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital
earlier this month after the young girl fell face-first on her bathroom floor,
her mother, Sami Mell, told Fox 19. Later, Averey was unable to feed herself
and reportedly had trouble breathing on her own.
Doctors were unsure what was sickening the young girl —
until her mother found two Dogwood ticks hiding behind her daughter's ear. By
the time they were located, they were the size of a quarter, the news station
reports.
The 5-year-old was suffering from tick paralysis, which, in
North America, is primarily caused by five tick species, the American Lyme
Disease Foundation says.
Tick paralysis, according to the foundation, “occurs when an
engorged and gravid (egg-laden) female tick produces a neurotoxin in its
salivary glands and transmits it to its host during feeding.”
“Experiments have indicated that the greatest amount of
toxin is produced between the fifth and seventh day of attachment,” it
continued.
"The infectious disease doctor of 30 years said he’s
never seen [anything] like it."
Symptoms often include fatigue, numbness of the legs and
muscle pains.
“Paralysis rapidly develops from the lower to the upper
extremities and, if the tick is not removed, is followed by tongue and facial
paralysis,” the foundation said, noting in severe cases, the condition can
cause convulsions, respiratory failure and, in rare cases, death.
Since the toxin can only be released when the tick is
attached to its host, symptoms typically “diminish rapidly" once the
parasite is removed, according to the foundation.
Mell said her daughter improved shortly after the ticks —
which likely attached themselves to the girl as she played outside — were
removed.
"The infectious disease doctor of 30 years said he’s
never seen [anything] like it,” Avery’s grandfather, Dave Goslin, told Fox 19.
The news comes after a similar incident occurred in
Colorado. In June, a 7-year-old girl suffered from the tick-related illness
after staying at an overnight camp.
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