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Tickborne Diseases of the United States


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Lyme Disease Prophylaxis After Tick Bite					minus icon
                Contents
			HomeTick IDOverview of Tickborne DiseasesLyme DiseaseTickborne Relapsing Fever (TBRF)Hard Tick Relapsing FeverAnaplasmosisEhrlichiosisRocky Mountain Spotted FeverRickettsia parkeri RickettsiosisTularemiaBabesiosisHeartland and Bourbon Virus DiseasesColorado Tick FeverPowassan Virus DiseaseTickborne Diseases AbroadTick Bites/PreventionLyme Disease Prophylaxis After Tick Bite					Related Pages
										In areas that are highly endemic for Lyme disease, a single prophylactic dose of doxycycline (200 mg for adults or 4.4 mg/kg for children of any age weighing less than 45 kg) may be used to reduce the risk of acquiring Lyme disease after a high-risk tick bite.
Benefits of prophylaxis may outweigh risks when **all of the following circumstances are present**:Where the tick bite occurred, are ticks likely to be infected with *Borrelia burgdorferi*?US map showing areas with high incidence of Lyme disease, and areas with local transmissionWas the tick removed within the last 72 hours?Was the tick’s body engorged with blood (not flat)?tick-flat**Flat**engorged tick**Engorged**Was the tick an *Ixodes* (blacklegged) tick?nymph tick**Nymph**black legged tick-flat**Adult**Is doxycycline safe for the patient? Considerations include allergy to doxycycline, pregnancy, and lactation.**Antibiotic treatment following a tick bite is not recommended as a means to prevent anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, or other rickettsial diseases**. Instead, persons who experience a tick bite should be alert for symptoms suggestive of tickborne illness and consult a physician if fever, rash, or other symptoms of concern develop.ReferencesNadelman RB, et al. Prophylaxis with single-dose doxycycline for the prevention of Lyme disease after an *Ixodes scapularis* tick bite. *N Engl J Med*. 2001;345(2):79-84.
Harms MG, et al. A single dose of doxycycline after an *Ixodes ricinus* tick bite to prevent Lyme borreliosis: An open-label randomized controlled trial. *J Infect*. 2021;82(1):98-104.Top of Page
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						Page last reviewed:  August 5, 2022					Content source: 	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID), Division of Vector-Borne Diseases (DVBD) homeTickborne Diseases of the United StatesTick IDOverview of Tickborne DiseasesLyme DiseaseTickborne Relapsing Fever (TBRF)Hard Tick Relapsing FeverAnaplasmosisEhrlichiosisRocky Mountain Spotted Fever*Rickettsia parkeri*RickettsiosisTularemiaBabesiosisHeartland and Bourbon Virus DiseasesColorado Tick FeverPowassan Virus DiseaseTickborne Diseases AbroadTick Bites/PreventionLyme Disease Prophylaxis After Tick Bite


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