Ehrlichiosis

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Treatments and drugs

By Mayo Clinic staff

If your doctor suspects that you have ehrlichiosis or another tick-borne illness, you'll likely receive a prescription for an antibiotic, such as doxycycline or tetracycline. You'll generally take the antibiotics for seven to 10 days and should see signs and symptoms begin to subside within two days. Your doctor may have you take antibiotics for a longer period if he or she believes you might be infected with Lyme disease as well.

If you're pregnant, your doctor may prescribe the antibiotic rifampin instead, because tetracycline and doxycycline aren't recommended during pregnancy.

References
  1. Sexton DJ. Human ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 29, 2010.
  2. Prevention and control. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/prevention.html. Accessed Feb. 24, 2010.
  3. Questions and answers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/diseases/ehrlichiosis/faq.html. Accessed Feb. 24, 2010.
  4. Stone JH, et al. Human monocytic ehrlichiosis. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2004;292:2263.
  5. Ganguly S, et al. Tick-borne ehrlichiosis infection in human beings. Journal of Vector Borne Disease. 2008;45:273.
  6. Walker DH, et al. Rickettsial diseases. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2898577. Accessed Feb. 25, 2010.
  7. Elston DM. Tick bites and skin rashes. Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases. In press. Accessed Feb. 24, 2010.
  8. Other tick-borne diseases. American Lyme Disease Foundation. http://www.aldf.com/Ehrlichiosis.shtml. Accessed Feb. 25, 2010.
  9. Removing ticks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/tick_removal.html. Accessed Feb. 25, 2010.
  10. Prevention of tickborne infections. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://aapredbook.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/2009/1/2.13?maxtoshow=&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=prevention+of+tickborne&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=2009&issue=1&resourcetype=HWCIT. Accessed Feb. 26, 2010.
DS00702 April 17, 2010

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