Lyme disease is transmitted to humans through a bite by a deer or black-legged tick with an infection. Ticks get infected when they feed on infected mice or deer. They can carry different bacteria types depending on specific locations such as Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia mayoni, Borrelia afzelii, or Borrelia garinii.
Most affected regions are Europe, Pacific Northwest, Upper Midwest, and Northeast parts of the United States. Early diagnosis and treatment are necessary as the disease can cause serious health issues such as joint pains, severe headaches, neck stiffness, and severe heart palpitations.
Treatment Options
1. Use of Oral Antibiotics
Oral antibiotics are recommended for treatment if the disease is at the early stages. Adults can use doxycycline, amoxicillin, and cefuroxime. Children over eight years should use doxycycline. Amoxicillin and cefuroxime get recommended for breastfeeding or pregnant women and younger children.
2. Use of Intravenous Antibiotics
Doctors recommended intravenous antibiotics if the disease is at an advanced level. It might have affected the central nervous system leading to inability to move parts of your body like the neck. Treatment should be for 14-28 days.
3. ‘Pulse’ Approach Applied to Antibiotic dosing
The method is new, and approach researchers have come up with to treat Lyme disease. They have found out that some bacteria cells lie dormant after antibiotic treatment leading to extended spread. In the ‘pulse’ approach, antibiotics are used to eradicate active cells and repeated at different intervals to kill dormant cells.
4. New drugs using soil bacteria
Researchers have also proved that new medicines extracted from bacteria that live in soils offer an effective Lyme disease treatment.
Comments