| Most people who develop Lyme disease, a
tick-borne infection that’s endemic in parts of the Northeast and Midwest, are
easily cured by taking an antibiotic like doxycycline for a couple of weeks. But
for years a debate has raged over what to do about patients whose symptoms
(fatigue, mental confusion, joint pain) never seem to clear up. One small but
vocal group of doctors and patient advocates believes that Lyme’s
corkscrew-shaped spirochetes have tunneled deep into their victims’ bodies and
can be eradicated only with intensive antibiotic treatment over many months.
Another group believes, just as adamantly, that the bacteria are long gone,
making further treatment with powerful antibiotics—which can lead to potentially
fatal infections or blood clots—positively dangerous. Now comes word of two studies in the New England Jour A. an infected majority didn’t sense any tick biting B. one dose of antibiotics may prevent the infection C. doxycycline is strong enough to end the infection D. antibiotics live up to their reputation to cure Lyme 我来回答: 提交
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