overview
- Tularemia is a rare infectious disease. Also known as rabbit fever or stag fly fever, it usually affects the skin, eyes, lymph nodes, and lungs. Tularemia is caused by the bacteria Francisella tularensis.
- The disease mainly affects rabbits, hares, and rodents such as muskrats and squirrels. Tularemia can also infect birds, sheep, and pets such as dogs, cats, and hamsters.
- Tularemia spreads to humans in a number of ways, including insect bites and direct exposure to an infected animal. Tularemia is highly contagious and potentially fatal but, if diagnosed early, can usually be effectively treated with certain antibiotics. Tularemia Treatment in Khammam
symptom
Most people at risk for tularemia who get sick usually do so within three to five days, although it can taken up to 21 days. There are different types of tularemia, and the type you get depends on how and where the bacteria get into your body. Each type of tularemia has its own set of symptoms. Tularemia Treatment in Khammam
- Ulceroglandular tularemia
It is the most common form of the disease. Signs and symptoms are: - A skin ulcer that forms at the site of infection – usually from an insect or animal bite
Swollen and Painlessful lymph nodes
fever
chills
a headache
exhaustion
The reasons
- Tularemia does not occur naturally in humans and is not known to pass from person to person. However, tularemia is widespread around the world, especially in rural areas, as many mammals, birds, and insects are infected with F. tularensis. The organism can live in soil, water and dead animals for weeks.
- Unlike some infectious diseases, which can only spread from animals to humans in one way, tularemia has multiple modes of transmission. How you get the disease usually determines the type and severity of symptoms. In general, you can get tularemia from:
Insect bites. Although a number of insects carry tularemia, ticks and deer flies are the most likely to transmit the disease to humans. Tick bites cause a large percentage of ulceroglandular tularemia cases.
Exposure to sick or dead animals. Ulceroglandular tularemia can also be caused by handling or biting an infected animal, most often a rabbit or hare. Bacteria get into the skin through small cuts and abrasions or a bite, and an ulcer forms at the wound site. The eye shape of tularemia can occur if you rub your eyes after touching an infected animal.
Bacteria in the air. Bacteria in soil can be released into the air during gardening, construction, or other activities that disturb the soil. Inhaling the bacteria can lead to pneumonic tularemia. Laboratory technicians working with tularemia are also at risk for airborne infections.
Contaminated food or water. Although rare, it is possible to get tularemia from eating uncooked meat from an infected animal or from drinking contaminated water. Tularemia Treatment in Khammam
Risk factors
Although anyone can develop tularemia at any age, doing certain jobs or activities, or living in certain areas is at greater risk.
- Live or visit certain regions
- Tularemia has been reported in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Europe. In the United States, it is generally more common in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, although there were outbreaks in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming in 2015. Tularemia has also been reported in parts of Massachusetts, including Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
prevention
- No vaccine for tularemia is currently available. If you work in a high-risk profession or live in an area where tularemia is present, this steps can help reduction your risk of infection:
- Protect yourself from insects. Tularemia in the United States is often associated with a tick bite. In other parts of the world, tularemia is more commonly transmitted through mosquito bites.
- If you spend time in tick or mosquito-infested areas, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, tuck your pants in your socks, and use a wide-brimmed hat to protect your face and neck. Tularemia Treatment in Khammam