Antibiotic Treatment For Lymes

Injections of penicillin appear to cure a form of arthritis caused by Lyme disease. Lyme disease is caused by the bacteria spirochete. It usually begins with a rash and can be halted with antibiotics if treated in time. But if untreated in its early stages, it can cause intermittent outbreaks of an inflammation of the joints that resembles rheumatoid arthritis.

Lyme disease was first noticed in 1975 during an outbreak in Old Lyme, Conn. Experts eventually learned that it was caused by bacteria that are most often carried by a form of tick called Ixodes dammini. The ticks, in turn, are borne by deer.

Now, Lyme disease is most common along the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Massachusetts and in Wisconsin. However, cases have been reported in 24 states and 18 countries. Thirty-five percent of those who got the intramuscular injections appeared to be cured of arthritis, compared with 55 percent of the people who took intravenous medicine.

Two types of commercial sprays can help protect against a tiny tick that transmits Lyme disease.Carl E. Schreck, an entomologist with the department's Agricultural Research Service, tested tick repellents in pressurized cans containing two different active ingredients. The tests were performed ""on a tick-infested island'' near Hyannis, MA, USA.

Schreck found that a spray containing 0.5 percent permethrin fully protected against the tick. A second repellent containing deet, a chemical widely available as a mosquito repellent, was 92 percent effective against ticks.

The repellent containing permethrin is sold in most states in the South and Midwest as ""Permanone Tick Repellent.'' The spray containing deet is available nationally in ""Off'' or ""612-Plus'' and probably other brand names. Lyme disease is contracted most often between May 1 and mid-July, when the tick is in the nymph stage of development and the disease it carries is most virulent. The tick, Ixodes dammini, is shiny brown and about twice as large as the head of a pin.

Schreck cautioned that not only hikers, but swimmers and sunbathers along the New England and Middle Atlantic coastlines, run a risk of picking up ticks when they walk along grassy or wooded trails.

Lyme Disease