- Symptoms of Tularemia
- How transmission occurs to humans
- How the treatment is done
- How to protect yourself from tularemia
Tularemia is a rare infectious disease that is also known as rabbit fever, since the most common form of transmission is through people's contact with the infected animal. This disease is caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis that normally infects wild animals, such as rodents, hares and rabbits, which can infect people and cause complications that can lead to death.
Despite being fatal, tularemia has a simple and effective treatment, being recommended the use of antibiotics for about 10 to 21 days according to the doctor's guidance. Tularemia is more common in the northern United States, Europe and Asia, with no cases reported in Brazil, however in case of occurrence, it is recommended to inform the Ministry of Health so that the necessary measures are taken, since it is a compulsory reporting disease.
Symptoms of Tularemia
Symptoms of bacterial infection can take 3 to 14 days, however it is more frequent that the first symptoms appear up to 5 days after exposure. The symptoms are usually associated with the way the bacteria entered the body, whether it was through the air, contact with contaminated animals, mucous membranes or ingestion of contaminated water, for example.
The first symptoms of tularemia are the appearance of a small wound on the skin that is difficult to heal and is usually accompanied by a high fever. Other uncommon symptoms that can happen in the case of infection by the bacteria are:
- Swollen lymph nodes; Weight loss; Chills; Tiredness; Body aches; Headache; Malaise; Dry cough; Sore throat; Chest pain.
As the symptoms also vary according to the way the bacteria enters the body, there may be:
- Severe sore throat, belly pain, diarrhea and vomiting, if the person has drunk contaminated water; Septicemia or pneumonia, if the bacteria has entered the body through the airways, it makes it get into the blood more easily; eyes, watering and the presence of pus, when the bacteria enters through the eyes.
The diagnosis of Tularemia is made from the analysis of symptoms and the result of blood and microbiological tests that identify the presence of the bacterium. It is important that the person can identify how the contact with the bacteria happened so that measures can be taken to prevent the infection again.
It is important that treatment is started soon after diagnosis to prevent the bacteria from spreading to other parts of the body and causing complications.
How transmission occurs to humans
Human beings can be contaminated through contact with ticks, fleas, lice, mosquitoes and flies, and also through the consumption of contaminated water, or through contact with the blood, tissue or viscera of infected animals. Other forms of contamination include eating meat, being bitten or scratched by the contaminated animal, and also inhaling contaminated earth dust, grains or iron.
Contaminated wild rabbit meat, even if it is kept at low temperatures, such as -15ºC still remains contaminated after 3 years, and therefore in the event of an epidemic, it is not recommended to eat rabbits or hares.
How the treatment is done
Despite being a rare and often fatal disease, treatment with antibiotics is quite effective, being able to eliminate the bacteria from the body in a few weeks and avoid complications that could develop as the bacteria proliferated and spread.
Thus, the antibiotics normally indicated by the doctor to treat tularemia are Streptomycin, Gentamicin, Doxycycline and Ciprofloxacin, which are usually used for 10 to 21 days according to the stage of the disease and the antibiotic chosen by the doctor. It is also important that the examination to identify the bacterium is done according to the doctor's guidance to verify whether the treatment is being effective, and the need to change or resume treatment is verified.
In pregnant women, babies and children the doctor may decide to maintain hospitalization to ensure good hydration and during pregnancy, the risk / benefit of using the antibiotics Gentamicin and Ciprofloxacin, which are contraindicated during pregnancy, should be taken into account, which are the most suitable for the treatment of this infection.
How to protect yourself from tularemia
To protect yourself from Tularemia, it is important to avoid eating food or drinking water that may be contaminated and to wear gloves and masks when handling a sick or dead animal that may also be contaminated. In addition, it is recommended to use repellents and long pants and blouse to protect the skin from insect bites that may have been contaminated by the bacteria.
