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The incidence of tick-related medical problems in Australia is largely unknown. Appropriate diagnostic tests are not always available. Of all tick-related diseases, only Q fever is notifiable. However, many patients present to their doctor after a tick bite.

This module focuses on tick-borne infections, but also touches briefly on other medical problems caused by tick bites.

Details

• Be aware that tick bites in Australia can lead to a variety of illnesses in patients, including infection, allergies, paralysis, autoimmune disease, post-infection fatigue and Australian multi-system disorder
• List the three species of local ticks transmitting bacterial infection.

Authors: Stephen R Graves, John Stenos

Article Type: Narrative review