By Jeremy Olson
Star Tribune
November 13, 2019

Research suggests long-term antibiotics are no better than short term.

Minnesota is a Lyme hot spot due to the prevalence of black-legged (or deer) ticks that carry the bacteria that causes it.

Doctors who prescribe long-term antibiotic therapy for tick-borne Lyme disease are now at risk for licensing sanctions in Minnesota, a sign that many leaders in the profession regard the therapy as discredited.

The Minnesota Board of Medical Practice earlier this week lifted its decadelong moratorium on such actions because of research suggesting that long-term antibiotic therapy offers no benefits over the short-term therapy that most patients receive when their Lyme cases are diagnosed.

Whether the change will result in a wave of disciplinary actions is unclear, because the board only investigates complaints and some doctors might have dropped this form of treatment, said Ruth Martinez, the board’s executive director. “It’s kind of hard to know because we’re a complaint-driven process,” she said.

SNIP