Chastek paralysis

Chas·tek paralysis

noun \ˌchas-ˌtek-\

Definition of CHASTEK PARALYSIS

: a fatal paralytic vitamin deficiency of foxes and minks that are bred in captivity and fed raw fish and that is caused by enzymatic inactivation of thiamine by thiaminase present in the fish

Biographical Note for CHASTEK PARALYSIS

Chas·tek \ˈchas-ˌtek\ , John Simeon (1886–1954), American breeder of fur-bearing animals. In 1932 in Glencoe, Minnesota, a new disease of foxes was recognized for the first time on Chastek's farm. R. G. Green and C. A. Evans studied the pathology of the disease and in 1940 published an article in which they reported that the paralysis was due to a deficiency of thiamine caused by the presence of raw fish in the diet.