Babesiosis In Humans: Symptoms And Treatment Of The Disease

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Babesiosis In Humans: Symptoms And Treatment Of The Disease
Babesiosis In Humans: Symptoms And Treatment Of The Disease

Video: Babesiosis In Humans: Symptoms And Treatment Of The Disease

Video: Babesiosis In Humans: Symptoms And Treatment Of The Disease
Video: Babesiosis | Management of Babesia Infections | Infectious Medicine Lectures | V-Learning 2024, March
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Babesiosis is a vector-borne infection that occurs throughout the world, excluding Antarctica. However, the disease is classified as a very rare disease, since babesiosis in humans has been diagnosed about a hundred times in the entire history of medicine. This fact does not allow scientists to investigate the pathology in more detail, but the pathogenesis of the disease has been established accurately.

Content

  • 1 Description
  • 2 Source and routes of infection
  • 3 Pathogenesis
  • 4 Clinical picture
  • 5 Diagnostics

    5.1 Therapeutic measures

Description

Let's take a closer look at what babesiosis is, what are the causes and symptoms of infection, and what is the therapy for the disease.

Babesiosis is an acute invasive disease that affects blood cells. The causative agent of babesiosis is the simplest parasitic microbe of the genus Babesia. Infection is the result of an insect bite (mosquito, tick). As a rule, the disease is characteristic of domestic animals and small ruminants. In humans, the disease is diagnosed very rarely. Mostly ticks attack dogs, which is a great threat to humans.

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Outside of science, babesiosis is compared with piroplasmosis. However, this identification is relative since infections are caused by different pathogens. The symptoms of these similar diseases also differ.

Having penetrated the human body, the parasite remains in it forever. An adult infected person may not show symptoms. The disease intensifies when the immune system weakens. Being a carrier of the disease, a person may not even be aware of it. The risk group includes:

  1. Travelers.
  2. Agricultural workers.
  3. Mature people.
  4. People who have had their spleen removed.

An infectious microbe can only get to a healthy person from an infected person through blood

Source and routes of infection

The causative agent of the disease is the simplest organism from the class of sporozoans. Scientists have more than a hundred species. It is worth paying attention to two types of babesiosis that can affect the human body: Babesia microti (America) and Babesia divergens (Europe).

The infection is transmitted by blood-sucking insects, as a rule, ticks. Human infection occurs through insect saliva. The pathogen can be found in the blood under a microscope. The intracellular parasite under the microscope is a rather large oval or pear-shaped organism. Bacteria settle in erythrocytes, which provokes the development of anemia.

The virus cannot pass from an infected animal to a person. There are only two reasons why an infection can form:

  1. A bite of an insect.
  2. Blood transfusion - in case of contaminated donor blood. This may be due to the lack of modernized diagnostics of pathology.

There are no other causes of infection.

Pathogenesis

Following a tick bite, babesia enters the body and migrates to red blood cells and blood vessels. It is in this place that blood cells multiply and damage. The time period from the moment the parasite enters until the onset of symptoms of the virus can be 3 weeks or even several months. The symptoms of the disease begin to manifest themselves as soon as the waste products of microorganisms have filled the entire circulatory system.

From this point on, the following pathologies can occur in the body:

  1. Severe poisoning of the body.
  2. Development of anemia.
  3. The appearance of blood in the urine, caused by the destruction of blood cells and the ingress of their membranes into the urine, as well as the development of renal failure.

After being bitten by a tick, babesia enter the gastrointestinal tract of the infected. From there, the pathogenic protozoa move throughout the insect's body, including the salivary glands. At this stage, babesioses begin their division. This is how the complex cycle of development of babesia is resumed, which are in full readiness to enter the human or animal body.

Clinical picture

The course of the disease can be either mild or severe. This is due to the state of the patient's immunity. The incubation period can be shortened from a week to two in case of bloodborne infection.

Typical signs of babesiosis are:

  1. A sharp increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees.
  2. Breathing disorder (rapid or difficult).
  3. Heart arythmy.
  4. Weight loss.
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Depending on the course of the disease, the following symptoms may appear:

  • painful condition, accompanied by fever and chills;
  • pathological fatigue;
  • enlargement of the spleen;
  • excessive sweating;
  • myalgia and arthralgia;
  • feeling of nausea and vomiting;
  • cephalalgia;
  • general depression;
  • abdominal pain and sore throat;
  • photophobia;
  • the appearance of a cough.

The manifestation of the disease in a child is no different from that in an adult. It should be noted that this infection does not contribute to the appearance of a rash, unlike other infections transmitted by ticks. It is also worth highlighting people over 50 years old, since their disease suggests a severe and long course. In addition, Lyme's disease and granulocytic ehrlichiosis can join.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis by symptomatic manifestations is very difficult. Laboratory tests are prescribed in the case of:

  • prolonged febrile state;
  • low hemoglobin content in the blood;
  • ineffectiveness of the use of antibacterial agents.

Diagnostics involves the study of blood smears and the method of fluorescent antibodies to detect babesia. In the case when a blood smear did not record their presence, they resort to using a microbiological diagnostic method, namely, an experimental method.

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It is very important during the diagnosis to exclude the presence of HIV infection, malaria and sepsis. An important point is the setting of the geographical location where the diagnosis was made

Therapeutic activities

Babesiosis is treated individually for each case, depending on the symptoms and course of the disease. With a mild form, very often drug treatment is not required due to self-healing. Antipyretic drugs and vitamins can be used to boost the immune system in order to eliminate the symptoms of the disease.

In severe form, serious complex therapy will be required. In particular, babesiosis is treated with the following drugs:

  • Quinine;
  • Clarithromycin;
  • Mepron;
  • Azithromycin.

These drugs have a good therapeutic effect.

Disease therapy is difficult and requires significant efforts. In severe cases, a blood transfusion may be required. If children have been exposed to the disease, urgent antibacterial treatment will be required.

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It is imperative to be treated, since this infection can be fatal. According to statistics, in 80% of the neglected form of babesiosis leads to the death of the patient. There are times when blood transfusion does not help in saving a person.

In nature and other places where ticks can live, it is necessary to wear closed clothing and use special sprays from them. If, nevertheless, the bite has occurred, the tick must be removed only in a medical institution. And at the first symptoms of malaise, urgently undergo a study to exclude infection.

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