Key points
- Doxycycline is the recommended antibiotic treatment for anaplasmosis in adults and children of all ages.
- Early treatment with the antibiotic doxycycline can prevent death and severe illness.
Treatment overview
Doxycycline is the most effective treatment of all rickettsial diseases including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis. It is the antibiotic recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and CDC for the treatment of suspected rickettsial diseases in all patients. Studies have shown that other antibiotics are less effective and patients receiving alternative antibiotics have a higher number of deaths (case fatality rate).