Pneumonic plague: symptoms in humans

2024 Author: Curtis Blomfield | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 20:44

One of the most dangerous diseases that claimed thousands of human lives for several hundred years is the plague.

Unfortunately, this infection still exists, and outbreaks occur from time to time in different countries of the world. As a result, a large number of people die. The pulmonary form of the disease is especially dangerous, as it is highly contagious.

Methods of plague infection

This disease is considered very formidable, as it often leads to blood poisoning and death. It has been known since ancient times. Previously, the disease terrified people. They did not know what provoked it and how to deal with the terrible epidemics that devastated entire cities.

The causative agent of infection is the plague bacillus. Science knows several varieties of this microorganism. Plague wand can be transmitted by animals (hares, cats, camels, gophers, rats).

Also, bloodsucking insects (mainly fleas) are carriers. As a rule, animals die almost immediately after infection, or the disease in them passes in a latent form. Rodents (ground squirrels, marmots, jerboas) usually carry this form of the disease during hibernation. Plague Wand - Prettyresistant microorganism. It can remain in the secretions of the patient (mucus, blood) and even in corpses for several months. There are four forms of disease caused by this microorganism. These are varieties such as:

1. Bubonic form.
2. Septicemic plague.
3. Dermal form.
4. Pneumonia.

The last form is extremely heavy. Mortality rates for this type of infection are very high.

Types of pneumonic plague

There are two varieties of this infection:

1. Primary pneumonic plague. This form has a short latent period - from one day to three days. The disease develops very quickly and is manifested by pronounced symptoms. In the absence of adequate therapy, a person dies two to three days after infection.
2. Secondary form. Occurs as a complication of another type of plague. It develops gradually, at the beginning of the disease the symptoms are not pronounced.

Both varieties have similar characteristics and are considered highly contagious. This is because pneumonic plague spreads from person to person.

Methods of infection

There are several ways of transmitting the disease. These include the following:

1. Airborne (when interacting with an infected person). Patients pose a threat to other people, as during the period of the most intense manifestation of symptoms, they can transmit microorganisms to people through breathing, coughing and sneezing.
2. Penetration of the plague agent intolungs.



You can become infected through the patient's personal belongings, such as cigarettes or dishes. Fortunately, this route of infection is rare.

3. Other methods of infection. Pneumonic plague in humans can occur if pathogens enter the body through the connective membrane of the eyes. This route of infection is also rare.

Secondary pneumonic plague occurs when microorganisms enter the respiratory system through the blood or lymph fluid.

Stages of the disease

Primary pneumonic plague proceeds in three stages:

1. Latent stage. This is a short period (from several hours to several days) from the very moment of infection to the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease. At this stage, microorganisms actively multiply.
2. The first stage. This is the period of occurrence of general signs of the disease. There are also specific signs of pneumonic plague, such as coughing and inflammation.
3. Second stage. This stage is characterized by the occurrence of pathological processes in the lungs and serious respiratory disorders. The patient during this period is highly contagious.

Pneumonic plague is considered the most dangerous type of this infection, since even with treatment, five to fifteen percent of patients die. The presence or absence of timely and effective treatment largely determines whether the patient has a chance to survive or not.

Signs of illness

So how does pneumonic plague manifest itself? Symptoms in a person first appear general, characteristicfor all forms of this infection. On the first day of illness, the temperature rises sharply (up to 40 degrees and above). There are pain in the muscles, back and head, lethargy, nausea and vomiting (sometimes mixed with blood). Then the patient begins to cough, he feels a lack of air, it is difficult for him to breathe.

Pneumonic plague has symptoms such as respiratory problems (it becomes too frequent) and mucus discharge. At first, the patient's cough is accompanied by expectoration of light, almost transparent sputum. Sometimes the discharge contains pus. Then blood and foam appear in the sputum, a lot of it leaves. Usually, on the second day of illness, the patient's condition deteriorates sharply, and some die during this period due to serious violations of the functions of the heart and respiratory organs or as a result of the development of a state of shock.

Diagnosis of disease

Detecting an infection like pneumonic plague is quite difficult. This is due to the absence of signs inherent only to this disease. For example, symptoms such as severe coughing and bloody sputum are characteristic of tuberculosis, and it is difficult for doctors to distinguish between these types of pathologies. Also, the infection develops very quickly, and this makes it difficult to diagnose. When there is an outbreak in a locality, he alth workers carefully examine people with symptoms such as coughing and bloody sputum. In such cases, patients with similar pathological phenomena are hospitalized and placed in separate wards. Doctors carefully observe them and control themcondition. In order to identify the presence of the plague agent in the body, a special blood test is performed.

Medicines are also injected under the skin, the patient's response to them is assessed, and a decision is made whether to vaccinate. In some cases, a person needs to be re-vaccinated. If necessary, doctors conduct laboratory tests not only of blood, but also of other biological material (urine, feces, vomit, sputum).

Therapy

Because pneumonic plague is a rapidly evolving disease, doctors begin treatment before the diagnosis is complete. Since this type of infection is highly contagious, the patient is placed in a separate room. Therapy includes antibiotics, detoxification activities and the introduction of a special serum.

In case of violations of the functions of the respiratory organs and the heart muscle, doctors conduct specific treatment. Additional therapy is also required if there is a threat of developing a shock state. Usually, in the absence of fever and pathogens in the blood, the patient is discharged from the hospital after six weeks of treatment. However, a person who has had pneumonic plague must be under the supervision of doctors for three months.

Prevention measures

Steps to prevent this dangerous disease include the following:

1. Assessing the condition of wild animals, establishing restrictions on hunting them during disease outbreaks.
2. Timely notification of people about epidemics and ways of infection.
3. Vaccination of persons at increased risk of infection (hunters, biologists, geologists, archaeologists).
4. When a person shows signs of a disease such as pneumonic plague, treatment and isolation should occur as soon as possible. Relatives and friends of the patient are prescribed prophylactic antibiotics. They must also be in the hospital under the supervision of doctors for six days.
5. All belongings of the patient must be treated with a special disinfectant solution.
6. In the territory where the epidemic was registered, it is necessary to carry out measures to exterminate rats. They also exterminate sick animals living in the wild (hares, ground squirrels, marmots, and so on). The territory where the outbreak was detected is being quarantined.

Because pneumonic plague is highly contagious, care must be taken to ensure that the infection does not spread.