The causative agent of anthrax. Diagnosis of anthrax, symptoms, treatment
Anthrax is an infectious disease. It has a high probability of death. Causative agent of anthrax - Bacillus anthracis. In the risk zone are people working on farms, since infection occurs when contacting animals. The disease of anthrax, the photo of the results of which can frighten anyone, is dangerous for several reasons: it is quite common in the animal kingdom, the spores of the causative agent are stored for a long time in the soil of the cattle graveyard, the disease is leaking and gives complications.
Description
Disputes of the causative agent of the disease can be about 10 yearsTo remain in the soil, and in cattle grains - five times longer. They are not afraid of frost and heat, they are able to survive in solutions of chloric lime and chloramine, and boil they stand for 7 minutes.
Everyone knows cases when an agent of anthrax was used by terrorists and distributed in envelopes.
The vegetative form of a bacterium quickly perishes after disinfection and boiling. The bacterium of anthrax is able to go into a sleeping form and activate under favorable environmental conditions.
History
Since ancient times anthrax has struckhumanity. Homer and Hippocrates also referred to it as "sacred coal". In the Middle Ages, this disease took the lives of many people and animals in different countries. For the first time the disease was described in the XVII century. Russian scientist S.S. Andreevsky proved that anthrax in animals and humans is one and the same disease that occurs through self-infection. He also appropriated this disease modern name.
At the end of the XIX century, Louis Pasteur was able to create the firstvaccine. He injected the animals with a weakened strain of anthrax bacterium, which led to the development of immunity. Pasteur was able to prove the need for vaccination for the prevention of the disease.
WHO reports 20 thousand cases of Siberiana plague annually. Now studies are underway to improve the vaccine and extend its duration. In 2010, US scientists were able to introduce the anthrax gene into the tobacco genome. As a result of these actions, an antigen was developed in plants, which was used to create a new vaccine, which practically does not cause side effects.
Epidemiological process
A Siberian rod in a sick animal is found in feces, blood, liquid secreted from the nose and mouth. The causative agent enters the soil and water with urine and feces.
Ground in place of the case of sick cattle becomes infected, and wild animals, taking away the corpse, are able to spread the disease for many kilometers.
Infection from one person to another does not occur, so the level of disease in people directly depends on the epidemic in animals.
Infection can be carried out through the soil, withcontact with infected livestock products, in caring for sick animals, in opening their corpses, through injuries to the skin, food and inhaled air.
In African countries, where anthrax is particularly common in animals, its transmission to humans can occur through the bite of a blood-sucking insect.
Who is at risk?
There are several groups of people who are especially at risk of infection:
- veterinary workers in contact with animals;
- manufacturers, sellers, as well as buyers of products made from natural fur and wool, brought from regions where the disease is common;
- hunters;
- military personnel and other categories of citizens in the epidemic areas;
- people working in laboratories, in direct contact with the causative agent of anthrax.
Prevalence
An anthrax has not been destroyed in any countrycompletely. Most often it occurs in Africa and South America, as well as in the countries of the Asian region. In Europe, the epidemic periodically occurs in its southern part, on the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts. Leaders in the number of patients with anthrax are Turkey, Iran and Iraq.
In Russia, most often this disease occurs inNorth Caucasus region. The main reason for its occurrence in our country is the slaughter of an infected animal without informing the veterinary service about it and without taking the necessary decontamination measures.
Features of the spread of the disease:
- in developing countries, infection occurs after contact with the animal, care for it, slaughter;
- in developed countries, the infection is transmitted mainly through production raw materials of animal origin.
Classification of the disease
The following forms of anthrax are distinguished:
- skin;
- intestinal;
- pulmonary.
The cutaneous form is most common (approximately 95% of the total number of cases). It can be carbuncle (most common), bullous, endematous and erysipeloid.
Pulmonary and intestinal forms are often united under one name - generalized, or septic ulcer. The least common is the intestinal form of the disease (less than 1% of cases).
Symptoms and course of the disease
The latent period of the disease can continue froma few hours to a week. From the moment the pathogen gets to the person before the first symptoms appear, it may take a different amount of time (depending on the route of infection). With the air and food way of infection, the development of the disease occurs instantaneously, and in a few days death may occur.
Regardless of the form of anthrax, the mechanism of its development is the same: the toxin damages the vessels, breaks their permeability, resulting in edema, inflammation and loss of sensitivity.
The most common carbuncular anthrax (photo of the pathogen of the disease is presented below).
The onset of the disease is characterized by the appearance onthe skin at the entry point of a red stain infection, which later turns into a papule, and then into a dark vesicle. Having burst, the vesicle transforms into an ulcer with raised edges, around which new vesicles can appear. After a while in the ulcer a black scab, similar to the scorched skin, is formed. The sensitivity of the cover around the scab disappears. Its external similarity with coal led to the emergence of the old Russian name for anthrax - a carbon.
A swelling appears around the affected skin. It is dangerous when a carbuncle occurs on the face and can lead to swelling of the airways and death.
The course of the disease is accompanied by high fever, lability, headache. A few weeks later, the ulcer heals and a scar appears.
Endematous anthrax is edematous, carbuncle appears at a later stage of the disease and is large in size.
With a bullous version of the disease at the entry point of the infection, bubbles appear which, after opening, become ulcers.
The pulmonary form of the disease is often called a diseasewool sorter. Anthrax bacterium with air gets into the lungs, and from there - into the lymph nodes that become inflamed. Initially, the patient has a fever, chest pain and weakness. After a few days, shortness of breath and a decrease in the level of oxygen in the blood. Once in the lungs, the causative agent of anthrax quickly spreads throughout the human body. Often there is a cough with blood, an X-ray can show the presence of pneumonia, the temperature of the patient's body often rises to 41 degrees. There is a pulmonary edema and cardiovascular insufficiency, as a consequence, cerebral hemorrhage is possible.
After the causative agent enters the human body withfood and drink develops an intestinal form of anthrax. The first phase of the disease lasts about 2 days and is accompanied by sore throat, fever, fever. Subsequently, vomiting with blood, severe abdominal pain, diarrhea are added to these symptoms. There is cardiovascular failure, the face becomes crimson or cyanotic in color, papules are formed on the skin. With intestinal anthrax, the probability of a patient's death is high.
When the septic form of the disease occurs rapidly, there is intoxication, internal hemorrhage. The consequence of such an ailment can be an infectious-toxic shock.
Diagnostics
Laboratory diagnosis of anthrax includes the following:
- serological studies;
- bacteriological studies;
- skin-allergic tests.
With a cutaneous form of the disease, the doctor will diagnose, based on changes in the skin of the patient. If there are suspicions of a pulmonary form, do a fluorography and a tomography, take smears from the nose and samples of sputum.
Pathogens of infectious diseases can also be determined by taking blood on bacterial cultures, examining abdominal fluid samples, lumbar puncture, analyzing skin scrapes.
Possible complications
Anthrax can lead to cerebral edema, lungs, gastrointestinal bleeding, and meningitis. In generalized forms of the disease, infectious-toxic shock often develops.
Treatment
Patients should be in an infectiousdepartment, in case of severe disease - in the intensive care unit. In no case can not open the carbuncle, so the dressings should be carried out with extreme caution. In the generalized form of the disease, the patient must be under constant monitoring to prevent toxic shock in time.
The causative agent of anthrax is destroyed byantibiotics. Apply them for 7-14 days, depending on the severity of the disease. Simultaneously with antibiotic therapy, the patient is administered antisybirolacyl immunoglobulin. The affected skin is treated with antiseptics. At home, the treatment of anthrax is impossible.
Forecast
The discharge of patients with a cutaneous form of the disease occursafter scarring of the affected skin, with a generalized form, complete recovery and a double negative result of bacteriological studies are necessary.
Most often, death is caused by pulmonary and intestinal forms of the disease. When the skin anthrax is fully recovered in the event that timely medical assistance is provided.
People who have come into contact with an anthrax pathogen take antibiotics within 60 days.
Prevention: General Information
Veterinary and medical-sanitary prophylaxis of anthrax is carried out.
Veterinary services are obliged to identify sick animals with subsequent treatment or slaughter. The fallen cattle are disinfected and destroyed, and disinfection is carried out in the center of the disease.
Health services should:
- monitor compliance with public health standards;
- time to diagnose and treat the disease;
- To examine and disinfect the focus of the disease;
- to carry out vaccination.
There is a silybrox vaccine, whichIt reliably protects animals from this disease. In farms, vaccination is carried out by all means, but not all people whose livestock is privately owned understand the need for this procedure.
The main measures for the prevention of anthrax
- annual grafting of cattle against anthrax;
- an explanation by the veterinary services of slaughter rules for animals that died from anthrax;
- reliable protection of cattle cemeteries and epidemic sites;
- refusal to purchase meat that does not have the stamps of the veterinary service, as well as leather and fur from the hands;
- burning of a dead animal infected with anthrax, burning the ground where the sick cattle lay, disinfection of premises with bleach;
- the imposition of quarantine on the place where the disease of cattle is diagnosed with anthrax;
- grafting people whose professional activities are associated with the risk of contracting such an ailment as anthrax (the vaccine is valid for a year);
- the conduct of sanitary supervision at the enterprises processing raw material;
- the causative agents of infectious diseases can be found in food, so the rules for processing and preparing meat and dairy products should be observed. </ ul </ p>
