To prevent transmission of Lyme disease, or borreliosis, after a tick bite, it would be effective to apply an antibiotic gel based on azithromycin, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal The Lancet.
An antibiotic ointment based on azithromycin has been shown to be effective against borreliosis or Lyme disease, a disease transmitted to humans by certain species of ticks. Left untreated it can lead to serious complications like joint pain and neuralgia. It is not contagious between humans. In Western Europe there are 200,000 new cases per year. 20% of ticks carry borreliosis and around 5% of tick bites cause Lyme disease, according to medical estimates.
Antibiotic gel without side effects to prevent Lyme disease
Researchers at the University of Vienna in Austria conducted a study with 1,000 tick bites who were treated with an antibiotic gel made from azithromycin, an antibiotic with antibacterial properties, within 72 hours of their bite.
None of the subjects tested developed Lyme disease. Conversely, in the control group that received a placebo, the researchers found 7 cases of borreliosis.
The advantage of the gel is that it did not show any side effects, so it can also be used for children. The treatment is very simple: the gel should be applied every 12 hours over a period of three days.
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