Eurosurveillance recently reported that travellers who discover ticks attached to them should remove the tick by grasping the mouthpiece with tweezers (forceps) and rotating the tick whilst withdrawing it. Subsequently, readers and a posting to ProMED-mail have pointed out that other guidelines, including those of the World Health Organization and the United States" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not advise rotating the tick during removal. Yet these guidelines also differ from one another with respect to whether it is advisable to suffocate ticks with paraffin or equivalent. Reasons behind the differing advice and some basic common points shared by all guidance are discussed below. (Extrait)