Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, have developed an injection that protects against two severe diseases transmitted by tick bites: Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis.
In 2006, the US saw nearly 20,000 cases of Lyme disease and there are up to 2,000 cases a year in the UK, a figure that is increasing steadily.However, now researchers have said that it might get cured with a single injection.
“Along the North-eastern seaboard of the US, ticks are often co-infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease and Anaplasmosis,” said Dr Nordin Zeidner.
“Currently there is no vaccine to protect against either organism. We have shown that a single injection of sustained-release antibiotics can prevent both diseases in mice,” Zeidner added.
During the study, the researchers found that a single dose of doxycycline given orally is only 20-30 percent effective at preventing these diseases in mice.
However, a new formulation of doxycycline hyclate that is programmed to release the drug over a 20-day period is 100 percent effective.
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“We plan to test the doxycycline formulation to develop different release kinetics and delivery methods. For example, a slow release patch could be used in conjunction with current recommended protection against ticks, such as repellents and personal tick checks,” Zeidner added.
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Source-ANI
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