Oral Cefuroxime vs. Amoxicillin for Children with Early Lyme Disease

Antibiotic treatment for early Lyme disease (LD) manifested by erythema migrans (EM) or constitutional symptoms (fever, headache, myalgias, and arthralgias) prevents development of late complications such as carditis, encephalomyelitis, and arthritis. Current IDSA recommendations for oral antibiotic treatment of children with early LD include amoxicillin, doxycycline (for those ≥8 years old), and cefuroxime axetil. Scant data are available for comparing the effectiveness of these antibiotics in children. In this study, 43 children with EM (age range, 6 months to 12 years) were randomized to receive 20-daytreatment with either cefuroxime axetil at a dosage of 20 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg daily, or with amoxicillin 50 mg/kg daily, in oral suspensions…