Zoonoses Flashcards
What virus causes rabies?
Rhabdovirus
How is rabies transmitted?
Saliva or CNS tissue - bite of an infected animal
What is the incubation period of rabies?
2 weeks to several months
What are features of rabies?
- Malaise, headache & fever, Progressing to mania, lethargy & coma
- Over production of saliva & tears
- Unable to swallow & ‘hydrophobia’
- Death by respiratory failure
What are the prodromal features of rabies?
- Headache
- Malaise
- Odd behaviour
- Agiation
- Fever
- Itch around the bite
What is the mortality rate of untreated rabies?
100%
What syndromes can prodromal rabies progress to?
- ‘Furious rabies’ - hyperactivity and terror, hydrophobia, aerophobia
- ‘Paralytic rabies’ - flaccid paralysis in the bitten limb -> coma -> death
What neurological condition occurs due to rabies infection?
Encephalitis
How would you investigate someone with rabies?
- Clinical picture + exposure
- Viral PCR/CSF antibodies - late confirmation
How would you manage someone with rabies
Immediate post bite-prophylaxis
- Soak/wash hand >15 mins
- Human rabies immunoglobulin + Vaccinations
What organisms causes brucellosis?
- B. Melitensis
- B. Suis
- B. Abortus
Which brucella species has the most virulence in man?
B. melitensis
What is the incubation period for brucellosis?
5-30 days
What are symptoms of brucellosis?
- Fever
- Anorexia
- Sweats
- Weight loss
- Malaise
- Localised infection - spetic arthritis, spondylitis, meningitis, endocarditis, orchitis
What are features of acute brucellosis?
- High ‘undulant’ fever
- Weakness, headaches
- Drenching sweats
- Splenomegaly
What are feautres of chronic brucellosis?
- Flu-like symptoms/Malaise
- Depression
- Chronic arthritis
- Endocarditis
- Epididymo-orchitis
- Rarely meningism
- Splenomegaly
How would you investigate brucellosis?
- Bloods - FBC, LFTs, Blood culture
- CSF culture
- Synovial fluid culture