Tick Paralysis Caused by Amblyomma maculatum on the Mexican Pacific Coast

Tick paralysis is a rare entity in which it is necessary to identify the cause and remove the arthropod to have a rapid remission of symptoms. In the absence of an early diagnosis, the outcome can be fatal, as toxins are released from the tick's saliva as it feeds. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first clinical report of the disease in Mexico and Latin America. A 22-year-old man from a rural area, who was in contact with cattle, developed ascending flaccid paralysis secondary to Amblyomma maculatum tick toxin. He presented flaccid paraplegia and arreflexia that progressed until causing dyspnea. The clinical symptoms subsided 48 h after the ticks spontaneously detached. The ticks were discovered by nursing personnel while the patient was being transferred to a regional hospital with the diagnosis of Guillain-Barre syndrome. The patient was asymptomatic on discharge from hospital and showed no further motor deterioration at a 1-month follow-up.