Anthrax is an infectious disease. It has a high mortality rate. The causative agent of anthrax is Bacillus anthracis. People working on farms are at risk, as infection occurs through contact with animals. The anthrax disease, the photo of the results of which can scare anyone, is dangerous for several reasons: it is quite common in the animal world, the spores of the causative agent of the disease are stored for a long time in the soil of the animal burial ground, the disease is severe and gives complications.
Description
Anthrax is caused by an immobile large bacterium. Being in the human or animal body, it forms a capsule, in the external environment - a spore.
Spores of the causative agent of the disease can persist in the soil for about 10 years, and in cattle burial grounds - five times longer. They are not afraid of frost and heat, they are able to survive in solutions of bleach and chloramine, and they can withstand boiling for 7 minutes.
Everyone knows cases when anthrax was used by terrorists and distributed in envelopes.
The vegetative form of the bacterium quickly dies after disinfection and boiling. The anthrax bacterium is capable ofgo into a dormant form and become active under favorable environmental conditions.
History
Since ancient times, anthrax has plagued humanity. Even Homer and Hippocrates mentioned it as "sacred coal". In the Middle Ages, this disease claimed the lives of many people and animals in different countries. The disease was first described in the 17th century. Russian scientist S. S. Andreevsky proved that anthrax in animals and humans is one and the same disease that occurs by self-infection. He also gave this disease its modern name.
At the end of the 19th century, Louis Pasteur was able to create the first vaccine. He injected the animals with a weakened strain of the anthrax bacterium, which led to the development of immunity. Pasteur was able to prove the need for vaccination to prevent the disease.
WHO reports 20,000 anthrax cases annually. Research is currently underway to improve the vaccine and increase its duration. In 2010, US scientists were able to insert the anthrax gene into the tobacco genome. As a result of these actions, an antigen began to be produced in plants, which was used to create a new vaccine that practically does not cause side effects.
Epidemiological process
Anthrax is transmitted to humans through livestock. Birds are immune to this disease, but they can carry spores on their feathers, claws and in their beaks.
Anthrax in a sick animal is found in feces, blood, fluid secreted from the nose and mouth. In soil and waterpathogen enters with urine and feces.
The soil at the place of death of sick cattle becomes infected, and wild animals, pulling away the corpse, are able to spread the disease for many kilometers.
Infection does not occur from one person to another, so the level of disease in humans directly depends on the epidemic in animals.
Infection can occur through soil, through contact with infected livestock products, while caring for sick animals, during autopsy of their corpses, through injuries on the skin, food and inhaled air.
In African countries, where anthrax in animals is especially common, 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 particularly at risk of infection:
- veterinary workers in contact with animals;
- manufacturers, sellers, and buyers of natural fur and wool products brought from regions where the disease is common;
- hunters;
- military personnel and other categories of citizens in epidemic areas;
- people working in laboratories with direct contact with anthrax.
Prevalence
No country has completely eradicated anthrax. Most often it is found 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 quantityanthrax patients are Turkey, Iran and Iraq.
In Russia, this disease most often occurs in the North Caucasus region. The main reason for its occurrence in our country is the slaughter of an infected animal without notifying the veterinary service and without taking the necessary disinfection measures.
Features of the spread of the disease:
- in developing countries, infection occurs after contact with an animal, caring for it, slaughter;
- in developed countries, the infection is transmitted mainly through raw materials of animal origin.
Classification of disease
The following forms of anthrax are distinguished:
- dermal;
- intestinal;
- pulmonary.
The cutaneous form is the most common (approximately 95% of the total number of cases). It can be carbuncular (the most common), bullous, endematous, and erysipeloid.
Pulmonary and intestinal forms are often combined under one name - generalized, or septic ulcer. The intestinal form of the disease is the least common (less than 1% of cases).
Symptoms and course of the disease
The latent period of illness can last from a few hours to a week. From the moment the pathogen enters a person until the first symptoms appear, a different amount of time may pass (depending on the route of infection). With the air and food way of infection, the development of the disease occurs at lightning speed, and after a few days it maydeath.
Regardless of the form of anthrax, the mechanism of its development is the same: the toxin damages blood vessels, impairs their permeability, resulting in swelling, inflammation and loss of sensitivity.
The most common carbunculous anthrax (a photo of the causative agent of the disease is presented below).
The onset of the disease is characterized by the appearance of a red spot on the skin at the site of entry of the infection, which subsequently 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 may appear. After a while, a black scab forms in the ulcer, similar to burnt skin. The sensitivity of the integument around the scab disappears. Its external similarity with coal led to the emergence of the old Russian name for anthrax - uglevik.
Edema appears around the affected skin. It is dangerous when a carbuncle develops on the face and can lead to respiratory edema and death.
The course of the disease is accompanied by high fever, aching, headache. After a few weeks, the ulcer heals and a scar appears.
Endematous anthrax is characterized by edema, carbuncle appears at a later stage of the disease and is large.
With a bullous variety of the disease, blisters appear at the site of entry of the infection, which, after opening, turn into ulcers.
The pulmonary form of the disease is often calleddisease of wool sorters. The anthrax bacterium enters the lungs with air, and from there - to the lymph nodes, which become inflamed. Initially, the patient has a high fever, chest pain, and weakness. After a few days, shortness of breath and a decrease in the level of oxygen in the blood appear. 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 patient's body temperature often rises to 41 degrees. There is pulmonary edema and cardiovascular insufficiency, as a result, hemorrhages in the brain are possible.
After the pathogen enters the human body with food and drink, the intestinal form of anthrax develops. The first phase of the disease lasts about 2 days and is accompanied by sore throat, high fever, and fever. Subsequently, vomiting with blood, severe abdominal pain, and diarrhea are added to these symptoms. Cardiovascular insufficiency appears, the face becomes purple or bluish in color, papules form on the skin. With intestinal anthrax, the probability of death of the patient is high.
In the septic form, the disease proceeds rapidly, there is intoxication, internal hemorrhages. The consequence of such an illness can be an infectious-toxic shock.
Diagnosis
Laboratory diagnosis of anthrax includes the following:
- serology;
- bacteriological research;
- skin allergy tests.
When the skin form of the disease is a doctormake a diagnosis based on changes in the patient's skin. If there is a suspicion of a pulmonary form, they do fluorography and tomography, take swabs from the nose and sputum samples.
Infectious agents can also be detected by blood sampling for bacterial cultures, abdominal fluid samples, lumbar puncture, skin scrapings.
Possible Complications
Anthrax can lead to swelling of the brain, lungs, gastrointestinal bleeding, meningitis. With generalized forms of the disease, an infectious-toxic shock often develops.
Treatment
Patients should be in the infectious diseases department, in case of severe disease - in the intensive care unit. In no case should the carbuncle be opened, so dressings should be carried out with extreme caution. With a generalized form of the disease, the patient must be under constant control in order to prevent toxic shock in time.
The causative agent of anthrax is destroyed with antibiotics. Apply them for 7-14 days, depending on the severity of the disease. Simultaneously with antibiotic therapy, an anthrax immunoglobulin is administered to the patient. The affected areas of the skin are treated with antiseptics. Anthrax cannot be treated at home.
Forecast
Discharge of patients with the cutaneous form of the disease occurs after scarring of the affected skin, with a generalized form, complete recovery and a double negative result are necessarybacteriological research.
Most often, pulmonary and intestinal forms of the disease lead to death. With skin anthrax, full recovery occurs if timely medical care is provided.
People exposed to anthrax take antibiotics for 60 days.
Prevention: general information
Veterinary and medical-sanitary anthrax prevention is in progress.
Veterinary services are required to identify sick animals for treatment or slaughter. Fallen cattle are decontaminated and destroyed, and disinfection is carried out in the focus of the disease.
He alth services should:
- monitoring compliance with general sanitary standards;
- timely diagnose and treat the disease;
- examine and disinfect the focus of the disease;
- vaccinate.
There is an anthrax vaccine that reliably protects animals from this disease. On farms, vaccination is carried out without exception, but not all people who have livestock in their personal possession understand the need for this procedure.
Key measures to prevent anthrax
- Annual vaccination of cattle against anthrax;
- explanation by veterinary services of the rules for slaughtering animals that died from anthrax;
- reliable protection of animal burial grounds and epidemic sites;
- refusing to buy meat that does not have the stigma of the veterinary service, as well as leather and fur withhands;
- burning a dead animal infected with anthrax, burning the ground where sick cattle lay, disinfecting premises with bleach;
- quarantining a place where anthrax disease was found in livestock;
- vaccinate people whose professional activities are associated with the risk of contracting an ailment such as anthrax (the vaccine is valid for a year);
- conducting sanitary supervision at enterprises processing animal raw materials;
- causative agents of infectious diseases can be found in food, so you should follow the rules for the processing and preparation of meat and dairy products.
