[Tick-borne Borrelia burgdorferi--frequent causative agent of peripheral facial paralysis].
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Tick bites are a common problem in Australia and an important cause of morbidity in medical and veterinary practice. Complications include local inflammation and infection, paralysis and transmission of various pathogens. Over the past three decades, several new tick-borne diseases have been recognised both in Australia and overseas. The importance of these diseases has also increased, in part due to greater recreational activities occurring in tick infested areas. However, our understanding of the microbiology and epidemiology of many of these diseases is incomplete.
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In a study of patients with suspected poliomyelitis, but from whom poliovirus was not isolated, a variety of causes of the paralysis was found. Injury of the spinal column sometimes followed by periostitis or osteomyelitis was relatively common. Exotic causes included paralysis due to snake bite, spider bite, scorpion sting, and tick bite and schistosomiasis involving the spinal cord. Chemical poisons, such as arsenic, triorthocresyl phosphate, and organophosphorus insecticides, were responsible for paralysis affecting groups of people. Paralysis in individual patients with porphyria followed the administration of anesthesia and certain drugs. Normal clinicopathologic findings in hospital nurses with Iceland disease suggested a psychological component. The Guillain-Barré syndrome in some patients resulted from virus infection of the nerve tissue, in others it was related to a hyperreactive autoallergic state. Enterovirus infections, especially coxsackieviruses A9 and A23 (echovirus 9) and group B coxsackieviruses, frequently caused meningoencephalitis often associated with transient paralysis. Coxsackievirus A7 infection occasionally resulted in permanent paralysis. Clearly it is important to maintain surveillance of these infections.
Results of comparative investigations of different in vitro and in vivo procedures are reported. The aim of the investigations was to determine which of the test methods gives the best estimate of the activity against ticks under field conditions when used for active ingredients of varying chemical constitutions and different types of action. The data obtained indicate that results of in vitro test methods using tick larvae differ with the test procedure employed and the chemical class of the active ingredient. Therefore, in many instances these test methods do not allow extrapolation to practical conditions. In vitro tests employing engorged female ticks are much more reliable for most classes of compounds. However, there still are groups of compounds for which this test furnishes incorrect predictions. A better indication of the potency of a compound is therefore obtainable using in vivo test procedures. An economic and reliable method for the selection of prospective active ingredients is the mini-dip method using the specific host animal. This method provides not only an indication of the future concentration to be recommended but also provides information on the different types of activity of compounds active against ticks, i.e. tickicidal effect, paralysis, detachment, inhibition of development. Such observations are difficult or even impossible when in vitro methods are employed. The predictive value of the mini-dip method has been established for tick controlling substances of widely varying chemical constitution like organophosphorus compounds, carbamates, thioureas, diamidides, thiazolines and synthetic pyrethroids.
The diagnosis of Lyme disease is easy on the basis of clinical features only when it combines migrans chronic erythema, severe root pain affecting the limbs and facial paralysis, above all when bilateral. When pain is transient and slight and when erythema and the tick bite are absent facial paralysis may be mistaken for Bell's palsy. The risk is that of failing to recognise Lyme disease which may subsequently manifest itself as severe neurologic complications minimally sensitive to antibiotics. The multicenter study envisaged is designed to determine the incidence of Borrelia burgdorferi seroconversion in all individuals with a non-traumatic peripheral facial paralysis seen between 1.1.90 and 12.31.90. Serology is difficult to interpret on an individual basis. A large series will be necessary in order to be able to draw reliable conclusions. Two control series will be used: one consisting of a sub-group of facial paralyses with herpes zoster vesicles and the other based upon pairing of two control sera for each Borrelia burgdorferi positive serum. This should show whether Lyme disease need really be feared in presence of an apparently isolated FP.
One-day-old leghorn chickens were used in a laboratory assay to determine the toxicity of crude extracts of the tick Argas (Persicargas) walkerae and of fractions obtained during the isolation procedure. Extracts of unfed and engorged larvae, nymphae and females were tested using this in vivo test system. Only extracts of replete A. (P.) walkerae larvae produced paralysis. A toxic fraction was isolated from replete larval extracts by gel-permeation and ion-exchange chromatography. This fraction with a pI of 4,5, showed 2 major bands corresponding to a Mr of 32 kDa and 60 kDa after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
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The authors report a series of 9 cases of meningoradiculitis after tick bites and compare them with 56 other cases in the literature. Clinically, the bite is followed by a free interval, then more or less extensive local erythema, pain then paralysis is undoubtedly the most typical presentation. Uni- or bilateral paralysis of the 7th cranial nerve was found in more than 50% of cases. Erythema may exceptionally be absent. There may be forms with pain alone. Finally, there may sometimes be pyramidal signs or signs of brain irritation. As concerns the course, one should note the absence of respiratory complications, and although there are usually no or minimal sequelae, one should note the slowness of the recovery in certain paralytic cases. In the laboratory, pleocytosis is constantly found in the C.S.F. As concerns physiopathology, there are 3 theories, virus, allergic and toxic.
Lyme disease is a tick-borne spirochaete infection which, in a proportion of patients, can lead to neuropathy. This article describes a case of diaphragmatic paralysis due to Lyme disease. A 39-yr-old male presented to the hospital because of an acute left facial palsy. Six weeks prior to admission he had developed a circular rash on his left flank during a camping holiday. He also complained of shortness of breath and arthralgia for 1 week. His chest radiograph demonstrated a raised right hemi-diaphragm. Diaphragmatic paralysis was confirmed by fluoroscopy (a positive sniff test). Serology revealed evidence of recent infection by Borrelia burgdorferi. On the basis of the patient's clinical presentation, a recent history of erythema migrans, and positive Lyme serology, a diagnosis of neuroborreliosis was made. He received oral doxycycline therapy (200 mg x day(-1)) for three weeks. Facial and diaphragmatic palsies resolved within eight weeks. On the basis of this case, a diagnosis of Lyme disease should be considered in patients from endemic regions with otherwise unexplained phrenic nerve palsy.
Lymphocytic meningopolyradiculitis (Bannwarths' syndrome) is a tick-borne Borrelia infection of man. About 60 per cent of such patients exhibit a peripheral facial paresis whose characteristics are clinically not distinguishable from Bell's paresis. Of major importance for the diagnosis, besides the radicular pain that nearly always prevails, are particularly further motoric deficits, a previous erythema migrans and remembered thick bites. A tentative diagnosis can be verified by liquor examination which reveals a characteristic pattern of protein distribution and lymphocytic pleocytosis. Penicillin in high doses is the therapy of choice.
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The clinical features of tick-borne encephalitis (tbe) were analyzed in the group of 477 patients hospitalized in the Department of the Infectious Disease and Neuroinfections of the Medical Academy in Białystok. The group included 31.4% women and 68.6% men, aged from 15 to 76 years. Persistent neurological sequelae were noted in 10.9% of patients: paresis or plegia in 5.66%, spinal dysfunction with lower limbs paraparesis in 1.68%, significant paresis of upper extremities in 0.63%, brachial plexus paresis in 2.31%. Cranial nerves involvement was present in 2.93%, including uni- or bilateral facial nerve palsy in 2.73% and trigeminal nerve involvement in 0.21%. Cerebellar dysfunction was present in 2,09% of patients. No fatal cases of tbe occured.
Despite their variety the syndromes of peripheral neuropathy are variations of just one subject. The most different lesions might be their cause. Therefore, one should not be satisfied with the diagnosis peripheral neuropathy, but should always try to clarify the etiology. Form and extension of the disturbances give essential hints. As far as possible, therapy should be directed against the respective causes. For several types of neuropathy prevention is possible. Symptomatic treatment is also important and in many cases even essential for survival.
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