Table 2 Details of five patients who presented in 2015/16 and underwent investigations to find out aetio-pathology, treatment given and response to treatment

Month/ year of admission

3/15

4/15

5/15

6/15

11/16

Age –years

51

35

62

33

46

Gender/physical state

Female

Female

Female

Pregnant

Female

Affected ear and palsy

Left

Left

Left

Right

Left

Time for onset of pain to facial palsy-days

3

6

11

2

5

Time gap between removal of tick to onset of palsy in days (pre or post)

2-post

1 -pre

7-post

1-pre

0

Neuropraxia of facial nerve

Present

Present

Present

Present

Present

Treatment

Doxycycline

Doxycycline

Doxycycline

Azithromycin

Doxycycline

Time for full recovery in weeks

4

3

4

3

4

IFA – IgG tire for R. conori – acute sera

negative

negative

1/128

1/32

1/512

IFA – IgG tire for R. conori – convalescent sera

1/1024

1/1024

1/1024

1/1024

1/1024

Identification of tick

–

Amblioma

Dermocentrer

Hyaloma

Rhipicephalus

Tick for PCR-rickettsial DNA

Negative

Negative

positive