My wife got a tick bite on her neck 10 days ago and has all symptoms of african tick bite fever. her fever is mild, the area swollen w a black spot. what treatments are there besides antibiotics and what are the risks and recovery times if untreated?

Please Treat.: African tick-bite fever is a bacterial infection that is spread through the bite of infected ticks. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle soreness, and a rash. The only way to treat bacterial infections is with antibiotics. (Doxycycline, Ciproflaxacin). These are safe and tested methods. Failure to treat can result in encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), pneumonia, damage to brain/heart

Flu like illness: If the tick is still lodged under the skin, it may be removed and sent for analysis. The type of tick provides additional information regarding prognosis. Therapy should be initiated and includes doxycycline (100 mg twice daily for 7 days). Please discuss serologic testing, PCR and a tissue biopsy. The biopsy should be performed if there is a lack of response. Watch for headache, dizziness.