Antibiotic gel to treat Lyme disease
Thursday September 22nd, 2011
German researchers have devised a quick and simple treatment for Lyme disease, using a gel.
The disease, which is transmitted by ticks, is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi, a type of bacteria.
Treatment can involve several weeks of antibiotics, which often have to be administered intravenously.
But scientists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen, Germany, have found that the application of a gel containing the antibiotic azithromycin to the bite quickly kills the infection.
As it was effective in an animal model, the research team, led by veterinary bacteriologist Professor Reinhard Straubinger, is to begin Phase III clinical trials to test the efficacy of the local antibiotic therapy for borreliosis in humans.
“Our approach simply involves applying a transparent, self-adhesive plaster to the site of the wound,” says Prof Straubinger.
“Because the plaster contains very little antibiotic, the effects are localised and side-effects are negligible.”
Their findings are published online in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
Evaluation of the preventive capacities of a topically applied azithromycin formulation against Lyme borreliosis in a murine model Jens Knauer, Inke Krupka, Christiane Fueldner, Jörg Lehmann, Reinhard Straubinger Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy online, September 15 2011
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