Lymph disease ( LD, Lymph borreliosis ) was first observed among people of Old Lymph, Connecticut, in 1975. It has become the most common trick-borne zoonosis in the United States. Between 2007 and 2010, an average of approximately 27000, confirmed cases of Lymph disease were reported annually, with 94% of these located in only 12 states. The disease is also present in Europe and Asia.
What is Lymph Disease and its Origin?
The spirochetes responsible for this disease comprise at least three species. Borrelia burgdorferi appears to be the primary cause of Lymph disease in the United States, whereas B. garinii and B. afzelii appear to cause the disease in Europe. Rodents and other wild animals are natural hosts although adult deer ticks feed on deer, deer do not become infected. In the northeastern United States, Borrelia burgdorferi is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected black-legged ticks.
Clinically Lymph Disease:
Lymph disease is a complex illness with three major states
- Initially localized stage
- Secondary disseminated stage
- Finally / late progression stage
The initial, localized stage occurs a week to 10 days after an infectious tick bite. The illness sometimes begins with erythema migrans, an expanding, ring-shaped skin lesion with a red outer border and partial, central clearing. This is accompanied by flu-like symptoms ( malaise, fatigue, headache, fever, and chills ). However, often the tick bite is unnoticed, or the skin lesion is missed due to skin coloration in its obscure location, such as on the scalp. Thus treatment that is effective at this stage may not be started because the illness is assumed to be ” just the flu“.
Secondary Disseminated Stage:
The second disseminated stage may appear weeks or months after the initial infection. It consists of several symptoms such as neurological abnormalities, heart infection, and bouts of arthritis ( usually in major joints such as elbows or knees ).
Current research indicates that Lyme arthritis might be an autoimmune response to major histocompatibility molecules on cells in the synovial joint that are similar to the bacterial antigens. Inflammation that produces organ damage is initiated and possibly perpetuated by the immune response to one more spirochetal protein.
Finproteinte progression Stage:
Like the progression othe f syphilis another disease caused by a spirochete, the late stage may appear later. Infected individuals may develop neuron demyelination with symptoms resembling Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Behavioral changes can also occur.
Laboratory Diagnosis Of Lyme Disease:
Laboratory diagnosis of LD is based on
- Serological test
- Lyme ELISA or Western blot for IgM or IgG antibodies to pathogen
- Detection of Borrelia DNA in patient specimens ( especially synovial fluid )
- By using PCR
- Recovery of the spirochete from the patient specimen
- By culturing with modest success
Treatment of Lyme Disease:
Treatment with Amoxicillin or tetracycline early in the illness results in prompt recovery and prevents arthritis and other complications. If nervous system involvement is suspected, Ceftriaxone is used because it can cross the blood-brain- barrier.
Prevention of Lyme Disease:
Prevention and control of LG involve environmental modifications such as clearing and burning tick habitats and the application of acaricidal compounds, which destroy mites and ticks. An individual’s risks of acquiring LD may be greatly reduced by education and personal protection.
1- Plague
Plague ( Latin pl, pest ) is caused by the Gram – Negative bacteria Yersinia pestiYersiniasmission of Plague Disease:
It is transmitted from rodent to human by the bite of an infected flea, direct contact with infected animals on their products, and inhalation of contaminated airborne droplets.
Initially spread by
- Contact with flea-infested animals
- Y. pestis can spread among people by airborne transmission
- Once in the human body, the bacteria multiply in the blood and lymph
Symptoms of Plague:
- Subcutaneous hemorrhages
- Fever
- Chills
- Headache
- Extreme exhaustion
- Appearance of enlarged lymph nodes called Buboes ( hence the old name, Bubonic plague )
In 50 to 70% of the untreated cases, death follows 3 to 5 days from toxic conditions caused by the large number of bacilli in the blood. During the mild Ages, the disease was known as Black Death the due to blacked-colored, subcutaneous hemorrhages. Infections now occur in humans only sporadically or in limited outbreaks. In the United States, 10 to 20 cases are ported annually the mortality rate is 14%.
What is Pneumonic plague?
The pneumonic plague arises
1- Primary exposure to infectious respiratory droplets from person to person or animal with respiratory plague
2- Secondary to bloodborne sbloodbornepatient with bubonic or septicemia plague. Pneumonic plague can also arise from parietal inhalation of Y. pestis in the laboratory.
Laboratory Diagnosis Of Plague Disof Plagueoratory diagnosis of plague is made in reference labs, where direct;
- Culture of bacterium
- Microscopic Examination
- Serological tests are used
- Confirmation of the identity by using PCR