Efficacy of Antibiotic Prophylaxis for the Prevention of Lyme Disease After Tick Bite

Lyme disease is endemic in several areas in the United States, including the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states, upper mid-West, and the West Coast. It is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and is transmitted to humans by ticks of the Ixodes species. The question of how to manage patients who have experienced a tick bite arises frequently in clinical practice and includes whether or not to recommend antibiotics either as a single dose or longer course in an effort to prevent development of acute Lyme disease characterized by systemic symptoms and the rash of erythema migrans.
Source: The American Journal of Medicine - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Concise advice for clinicians Source Type: research