Recurrent typhus - what insects should be feared?

Symptoms of recurrent fever were first described by Hippocrates. The epidemic happened on the island of Faros and was characterized by repeated feverish attacks. Epidemic outbreaks were observed in the 18th century in Ireland, England and Germany. In 1868, the pathologist of the Berlin Hospital Obermeier was able to determine the causative agent of this disease.

Recurrent typhus is a causative agent

The causative agent of recurrent typhoid is a bacterium of the genus Borrelia. It causes an acute infectious disease in the form of repeated attacks of fever. Carriers of pathogenic bacteria are lice and mites. In nature, there are two types of rotated typhus - an epidemic form of lesion and endemic.

Endemic recurrent typhus

The causative agent of endemic recurrent typhus is the spirochete. Scientists through a microscope have determined that this bacterium has a characteristic shape in the form of a spiral. It is transmitted through the bites of infected insects, for example, mites, and causes an infectious disease known as tick-borne spirochetosis. Infection, getting into the blood, affects the organs of hematopoiesis, as well as the central nervous system.

Epidemic recurrent typhus

The causative agent of the epidemic recurrent type is the Borrelia of the Obheimer. It also has the characteristic form of a thin spiral with sharp ends. Parasitizes the pathogenic pathogen in the body of lice. But the pubic and cephalic insects suffer this infection to a lesser extent, although they are also infectious. Borrelia provokes the beginning of rotund licephoid typhus. At this time, the disease is not fixed in our latitudes.

Transmission routes of recurrent typhus

Infection is transmitted by penetrating into the blood of a healthy person, pathogenically infected blood. Tick-borne recurrent typhoid occurs after the bite of an infected insect through the penetration of bacteria through its saliva. Ornithodal ticks are the most dangerous for humans, they serve as a natural receptacle of the spirochaete colonies and are contagious for many years.

In case of epidemic fever, lice are the carriers of the pathogen. In the human body, the infection comes after combing the killed parasite on the damaged skin. The rapid spread of recurrent typhus is characteristic of regions with a high population density, hot climatic conditions and a low level of development of medicine. In Asia and Africa, as well as in India, outbreaks of pivotal fever epidemics were often recorded.

Recurrent typhus - diagnosis

The diagnosis of this disease is based on the collection of anamnesis, the clinical picture and the results of laboratory studies. The place of stay of the patient is taken into account before the manifestation of the first symptoms. Carry out a thorough examination of the skin of the patient for the presence of traces of bite of insects. To find out what causes recurrent typhoid, additionally assign a laboratory analysis of blood taken during a fever. The presence of Borrelia indicates the onset of the disease. Recurrent typhus as a bacterial disease should be differentiated from other diseases with similar early manifestations.

Recurrent typhus - symptoms

The characteristic manifestations of the two types of recurrent fever are somewhat different. However, in the first and second cases, the main symptom is observed in the form of a sharp rise in temperature (about 40 degrees). It rises to the highest level after two weeks from the date of infection. Skin eruptions are typical for each type of disease, but the first dermatological manifestations have their differences.

Endemic recurrent typhus, the signs of which can be determined by examining the skin of the patient, looks like this:

  1. At the site of the insect bite, there is a small nodule measuring 1 mm with a bright red rim.
  2. After a day, the nodule turns into a papule of dark red color, around which a ring with a diameter of about 30 mm is formed.
  3. Within 4 days the contours of the ring become blurred and gradually it disappears, and the papule turns pale.
  4. On the fifth day, the place of the bite begins to itch, and after a few more days the symptoms of intoxication of the body appear.
  5. The attack of fever and symptoms of general intoxication last from one to five days. At this time, the causative agent of tick-borne recurrent typhoid is found in the patient's blood in the largest amount.
  6. Then the body temperature drops to critical values, after which the remission period begins.

After a while, the attack repeats, and so can last up to 10 times, but with less pronounced signs of intoxication. African tick fever lasts up to 2 months, but despite this, it is easier to carry than lice spirochetosis. Health problems do not occur often and do not pose a direct threat to life. The organs of vision and the cerebral membrane are more affected.

Manifestations of lousy rotational fever are the same as those of the previous disease, but:

1. A rash can have several elements and foci of inflammation.

2. To all this, signs of development are added:

3. There is a "fog" of consciousness.

4. In most cases, jaundice develops, which indicates liver damage.

The attack lasts for several days, then comes an apparent improvement, after which the fever returns. The cycle of undulating fevers consists of 2-3 repetitions. This form of ailment poses a serious threat to the life of the patient due to subsequent complications. The most common of these is the enlargement and rupture of the spleen with extensive internal bleeding.

Treatment of recurrent typhus

In order to prevent the spread of infection, the patient is isolated. Personal belongings and the room in which he was located, are disinfected. Therapy is carried out in a hospital. Endemic Typhoid, like the lousy, is successfully treated with antibacterial drugs of the penicillin and tetracycline group. Preference is given to the administration of the drug by intramuscular or intravenous injection.