Doxycycline
Doxycycline is a tetracycline antibiotic which is commonly used to treat a variety of infections.
Under the brand name Vibramycin, Pfizer's doxycycline product received US Food and Drug Administration approval in 1967.Other brand names include Monodox, Microdox, Periostat, Vibra-Tabs, Oracea, Doryx,Vibrox, Adoxa, Doxyhexal, Doxylin, Doxoral, Doxy-1 and Atridox (topical doxycycline hyclate for periodontitis).
Medical uses
In addition to the general indications for all members of the tetracycline antibiotics group, doxycycline is frequently used to treat Lyme disease, chronic prostatitis, sinusitis, pelvic inflammatory disease,acne, rosacea and rickettsial infections.
Antiprotozoal
It is used in prophylaxis against malaria. It should not be used alone for initial treatment of malaria, even when the parasite is doxycycline-sensitive, because the antimalarial effect of doxycycline is delayed. This delay is related to its mechanism of action, which is to specifically impair the progeny of theapicoplast genes, resulting in their abnormal cell division.It can be used in a treatment plan in combination with other agents, such as quinine.
Antibacterial
Moraxella catarrhalis, Brucella melitensis, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae are generally susceptible to doxycycline, while some Haemophilus spp., Mycoplasma hominis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have developed resistance to varying degrees.
It is used in the treatment and prophylaxis of anthrax (caused by Bacillus anthracis) and Leptospirosis.
It is also effective against Yersinia pestis (the infectious agent of bubonic plague), and is prescribed for the treatment of Lyme disease,[12][13][14][15] ehrlichiosis[16][17] and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In fact, because doxycycline is one of the few medications shown to be effective in treating Rocky Mountain spotted fever (with the next-best alternative being chloramphenicol), doxycycline is indicated even for use in children for this illness. Otherwise, it is not indicated for use in children under the age of eight years.
When bacteriologic testing indicates appropriate susceptibility to the drug, doxycycline may be used to treat and prevent:
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