COINFECTIONS: A SYNOPSIS
Compiled By: Melanie Reber
- Babesiosis
- Explanation: Protozoa that invade, infect, and kill the red blood
cells
Symptoms: Fatigue, night sweats, fever, chills, weakness, weight loss, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, cough, shortness of breath, headache, neck and back stiffness, dark urine or blood in urine
Treatment: Atovaquone (Mepron) plus Azithromycin (Zithromax), Clindamycin and oral Quinine
Other: Alternative treatment may include Riamet or Artemisinin
- Bartonella
- Explanation: Bartonella spp. bacterium
Symptoms: Fever, chills, headache and severe pain in the tibia, weight loss, sore throat, papular or angiomatous rash
Treatment: Erythromycin, plus a Fluoroquinolone or Rifampin
- Ehrlichiosis (HGE and HME)
- Explanation: Rickettsiae that infect the white blood cells
Symptoms: Anemia, fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, rigors, gastrointestinal symptoms, anorexia, fatigue
Treatment: Doxycycline, Rifampin
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever
- Explanation: Rickettsia rickettsii parasite that invades the cells
lining
the heart and blood vessels
Symptoms: High fever, severe headache (especially behind the eyes), maculopapular skin rash
Treatment: Tetracycline, Doxycycline, or Chloramphenicol
- Colorado Tick Fever
- Explanation: Reovirus that lodges inside the cells
Symptoms: High fever, chills, severe muscle aches, back pain, headache (especially behind the eyes), light sensitivities, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
Treatment: No antiviral therapy is available
Other: Aspirin
- Relapsing Fever
- Explanation: Borrelia hermsii spirochete
Symptoms: High fever, sudden chills, eye inflammation, coughing, jaundice, petechial rash
Treatment: Tetracycline, Doxycycline, or Chloramphenicol
- Tularemia
- Explanation: Francisella tularensis bacterium
Symptoms: Painful and swollen lymph nodes, fever, chills, fatigue
Treatment: Tetracycline, Chloramphenicol
- Powassan encephalitis
- Explanation: Flavivirus that invades and infects the brain
Symptoms: Fever, headache, pain behind the eyes, light sensitivity, muscle weakness, seizures, paralysis, brain inflammation
Treatment: No effective treatment
- Tick Paralysis
- Explanation: A toxic reaction to saliva from female ticks
Symptoms: Paralysis begins in legs and spreads throughout the body within hours
Treatment: Recovery is rapid following the removal of the tick
- Mycoplasma
- Explanation: A genus of small bacteria which lack cell walls. M.
fermentans, M. pneumoniae, M. penetrans, M. hominis and M. genetalium
Symptoms: Fatigue, headaches, muscle pain and soreness, nausea, gastrointestinal problems, joint pain and soreness, lymph node pain, cognitive problems, depression, breathing problems and other signs and symptoms
Treatment: Slow-growing mycoplasmal infections are not rapidly susceptible to antibiotics. Doxycycline, Minocycline, Ciprofloxacin, Azithromycin, and Clarithromycin may be used.
* Reprinted with permission from author.
