Lyme Disease Treatment and Transmission
Lyme Disease Treatment and Transmission
Lyme Disease Treatment
ILADS Guidelines; Burrascano’s Guidelines
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Treatment is most successful if begun promptly.
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Do not wait for test results, which are usually negative early in the illness.
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Lyme disease is a bacterial infection treated with antibiotics.
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Doxycycline is the usual treatment for adults.
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Children are often given amoxicillin.
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If people get a high fever, there could be a coinfection with ehrlichiosis or spotted fever, in which case the CDC recommends doxycycline, even to children.
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Lyme disease specialists recommend at least 4 to 6 weeks of treatment.
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Dr. Burrascano recommends treatment for at least 4 weeks after all symptoms are gone, to prevent a relapse.
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If the disease is not treated promptly and adequately in the early stage, the disease can become chronic.
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Chronic Lyme disease may require years of antibiotics, changing to different antibiotics from time to time.
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People who have neurological symptoms or who don’t respond to oral treatment may benefit from months or even a year or more of IV treatment.
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A healthy diet and vitamins & supplements are helpful.
Lyme Disease Transmission
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Not transmitted via casual contact.
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Usually transmitted by a tick bite.
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Can be transmitted through bites by fleas, horseflies, deer flies, and occasionally mosquitoes.
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Can pass through the placenta to an unborn baby if a pregnant mother has Lyme disease.
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Has been found in tears, sweat, semen, vaginal fluid, and stored blood.
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Possibly sexually transmitted; research is needed.
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Can survive in stored blood. We don’t yet know whether it is being transmitted via blood transfusion.
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People with Lyme disease should not donate blood or organs.
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Lyme disease Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) bacteria have been found in:
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black-legged ticks
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brown dog ticks
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fleas
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horse flies
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mites
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American dog ticks
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deer flies
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mosquitoes*
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wood ticks
* A study found that a mosquito did transmit Lyme disease bacteria to a hamster. Some people have been diagnosed with Lyme disease after a mosquito bite.