zithromax and Tick-Bites

SENLAT syndrome, also known as TIBOLA/DEBONEL, is an emerging disease in France. The major symptoms are necrotic eschar on the scalp associated with painful cervical lymphadenopathy. It occurs mainly in women and children during the cold seasons after a bite by a Dermacentor tick, responsible for transmitting Rickettsia slovaca or Rickettsia raoultii. Cutaneous swabs are safe, easy and reliable tools that should be used routinely by physicians to confirm diagnosis. In this particular disease, they should be preferred to serology, which is less sensitive. Doxycycline is the antibiotic of choice for this syndrome.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Arachnid Vectors; Azithromycin; Bartonella henselae; Bartonella Infections; Dermacentor; Diagnosis, Differential; Doxycycline; Europe; France; Humans; Josamycin; Lyme Disease; Lymphatic Diseases; Neck; Necrosis; Rickettsia; Rickettsia Infections; Scalp Dermatoses; Species Specificity; Symptom Assessment; Syndrome; Tick Bites; Tick-Borne Diseases; Zoonoses

Neonatal tick bites place infants at risk for acquiring infections that have rarely or never been documented in this age group. We describe 2 rare cases of tickborne infection in neonates. The first patient presented with multiple erythema migrans and fever, leading to a diagnosis of early disseminated Lyme disease. The second patient presented with irritability, fever, and worsening anemia due to babesiosis. Both infants had been bitten by arthropods fitting the description of ticks before the onset of symptoms. Our cases demonstrate the clinical course of 2 common tickborne infections occurring at an atypical age, opening the door to new, complex questions for which little guiding data exists. As tickborne infections become more prevalent, we expect other clinicians will be faced with similarly challenging neonatal cases. Providers must use past experience and a keen eye to identify neonates with tickborne infections and sort through their optimal diagnosis and management. In this article, we raise some of the questions we faced and discuss our conclusions.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antiprotozoal Agents; Atovaquone; Azithromycin; Babesiosis; Ceftriaxone; Erythema Chronicum Migrans; Exanthema; Female; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Parasitemia; Tick Bites

This is a case of a 71-year-old homosexual man who presented with a 4-day history of fever, weakness and headaches, near syncope, nausea and poor oral intake. The patient denied recent travel or sick contacts but had significant tick bites in the last 4 weeks. A peripheral blood smear showed 0.5% parasitaemia with signet ring appearance organisms consistent with

Topics: Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Atovaquone; Azithromycin; Babesia microti; Babesiosis; Diagnosis, Differential; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; False Positive Reactions; HIV Infections; Humans; Male; Serologic Tests; Tick Bites; Treatment Outcome

We report the case of a 3-year-old patient with Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF). The patient was infected through a tick bite in the forests surrounding Paris. Treatment with azithromycin was started with good results. MSF is not exceptional and should be considered in patients with fever, rash, and eruptions even outside the usual infested areas.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Azithromycin; Boutonneuse Fever; Child, Preschool; Exanthema; Fever; Humans; Male; Paris; Rickettsia conorii; Tick Bites; Treatment Outcome