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.
Washington, Mar 20 : 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.
"The underlying copolymer formulation has been in use for over 20 years. It has no adverse effect on humans and it can be programmed to release a drug over several weeks to several months," Zeidner said.
"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.
The study is published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology.
ANI