Tularemia is transmitted from animals, this acute infectious disease can not spread from person to person. But even if you do not have pets, the risk of infection exists. Let's talk about how the disease tularemia symptoms, and where you can pick up this infection.
Common signs of tularemia
This disease was first discovered about a hundred years ago in American gophers. Then the scientists were very surprised, noticing the animals in a disease very similar to the bubonic plague. But their surprise became even greater when it was found out that from the rodents tularemia is rather easily transmitted to the person. Also the source of infection in tularemia are dogs, sheep and all kinds of rodents. When a tick is bitten, a virus enters its organism, which gradually develops into a tularemia rod, and already it can be transmitted from the animal to a person by direct contact. The causative agent of tularemia in this case can be considered an anaerobic gram-negative rods bacterium.
The main signs of tularemia may differ depending on the zone and mode of infection, but there are symptoms that are typical for all forms of the disease:
- increased body temperature;
- nausea and vomiting;
- general weakness, dizziness;
- numbness of muscles, spasms;
- sharp pressure drops;
- fever.
Typically, the incubation period of tularemia is 5-7 days, and the symptoms of intoxication can last up to a month. Only after this, the patient has pronounced symptoms, indicating the focus of infection.
Symptoms of tularemia depending on the affected area
Tularemia can localize in different places, depending on the way in which the rod came into the body. Pulmonary form of tularemia, if the disease occurs without complications, with proper treatment passes fairly quickly. Main features:
- dry cough ;
- pain behind the sternum;
- signs of general intoxication.
The pneumatic form has more serious consequences.
If the infection has occurred through the skin, the bubonic form of the disease develops:
- on the skin appear ulcers and abscesses, bubonic cones;
- inflamed lymph nodes.
In this case it is important to carry out disinfection measures, both internally and externally, in order to avoid sepsis.
Affected lymph nodes can significantly increase in size, resembling the shape of a chicken egg. Initially, the process is accompanied by strong painful sensations, eventually they subsided.
When infected through the sclera of the eye, inflammation of the lymph nodes is accompanied by conjunctivitis. The cornea, as a rule, is not damaged.
The disease of tularemia, which got into the body together with food and water, can cause damage to the mucous membrane of the mouth and esophagus. In this case, abscesses and ulcers are also accompanied by inflammation of the lymph nodes.
Preventive measures and precautions for the disease tularemia
Regardless of how tularemia is transmitted, treatment should take place in a special medical facility. Infection from person to person is excluded, but it is possible to re-infection through household appliances, clothing and other items that could contact the source of infection - sick animals. The stick of tularemia is very tenacious, it can live up to six months in a humid, cool environment. Dying in a warm and dry climate, afraid of disinfectants and antibiotics.
In the prevention of tularemia, vaccinations are used. It is also recommended to wear gloves when cutting game, mandatory use of a respirator at large livestock enterprises and warehouses of agricultural products.