Tsetse-fly disease

General information about an infection

The tsetse-fly disease (African трипасономоз or the African tsetse-fly disease) is an infection about which many readers learned in the childhood, from pages of adventure novels of Jules Verne and Louis Boussenard. The famous authors colourfully described symptoms of a tsetse-fly disease and its awful effects that, however, it is impossible to call exaggeration in any way, in most cases infected really perished. The causative agent of a sleeping sickness gets into a human body after stings of tsetse flies (sort Glossina) who, in turn get sick from animals and people, being carriers of pathogenic parasites from the sort Trypanosoma. The tsetse-fly disease is widespread on the African continent. Every year the tsetse-fly disease is diagnosed for 50-70 thousand people, but the quantity infected constantly decreases that is connected with an urbanization and improvement of quality of life in developing countries.

Specialists allocate several types of the African tsetse-fly disease. The Gambian African tsetse-fly disease is widespread about large lakes and along the rivers. The Rhodesian form, on the contrary, is typical for savannas and often meets in places of cutting down of rainforests. Causative agents of a sleeping sickness – the flat parasites having the oblong and spindle-shaped form. They very small (12-20 microns in length), but mobile, easily move from place to place by means of the translucent membrane going along a body.

Symptoms of a tsetse-fly disease and clinical picture of a disease

The tsetse fly inoculates parasites in hypodermic space during a krovososaniye. A quantity of trypanosomes gets to a blood stream at once, but their most part remains in the place of a sting where there is an active reproduction of contagiums and formation of a characteristic painful node – a chancre. Then parasites begin to extend on a body through interfabric space and absorbent vessels. Interesting what the tsetse-fly disease constantly mutates. The first wave triponasy perishes because of action of antibodies, but during this invisible fight the new, antigenic form of an infection is developed. At the same time one strain of a tsetse-fly disease forms several hundred new options of parasites. No wonder therefore that in the absence of adequate treatment of people it is absolutely defenseless before the African tsetse-fly disease. Causes concern and that fact that specialists still have no idea of that, how exactly there is a defeat of fabrics.

As for symptoms of a tsetse-fly disease. The Rhodesian tsetse-fly disease proceeds more sharply and hard, than Gambian, but, in general, infection signs at both forms – are almost identical:

• existence of an entrance chancre – a painful node in the place of inoculation of trypanosomes. It appears 5-7 days later after the causative agent of a sleeping sickness gets to an organism. The chancre can appear on any body part. Sometimes it is expressed, but finally almost always spontaneously heals;
• remitiruyushchy fever;
• sleeplessness;
• the most severe headaches;
• problems with concentration of attention;
• the developing tachycardia;
• rise in body temperature;
• increase in nodes in a back cervical triangle;
• painful hypodermic hypostases;
• at Europeans in addition to the main symptoms the ring-shaped erythema is shown.

If at the person the African tsetse-fly disease of Gambian type is revealed, exacerbations of a disease are replaced by tranquility stages of latency. At the same time the infection can remain long time not distinguished up to that time until signs of damage of the central nervous system at full capacity are shown. The Rhodesian tsetse-fly disease which symptoms are expressed stronger comes to light quicker. At this form at patients practically at once there comes exhaustion, however, damages of lymph nodes are less noticeable. Let's notice also that in the absence of treatment patients usually perish from intercurrent infections and myocarditis still before the typical syndrome of a tsetse-fly disease develops.

In process of development of an infection, symptoms of a tsetse-fly disease are shown more and stronger. At patients appears absent expression, the under lip droops, eyelids fall. Patients as if fall into a stupor and the farther, the it is more difficult to induce them to perform the simplest operations. They never refuse food, but also do not ask it, extremely seldom make contact with people around. At the last stages the tsetse-fly disease leads to convulsive attacks, tranzitorny paralyzes, a coma, epilepsy and, at last, inevitable death.

Treatment and prevention of the African tsetse-fly disease

For treatment of a tsetse-fly disease are traditionally used: сурамин, organic compounds of arsenic and pentamidine. Often apply эфлорнитин which it is especially effective at a Gambian form. Specific techniques of treatment depend on extent of defeat цнс, medicines resistance of the activator and the general condition of the patient. Because of high toxicity all above-mentioned means have heavy side effects therefore they need to be used only in clinics under constant observation of specialists.

Prevention of a tsetse-fly disease consists in implementation of simple, but efficient rules:

• to refuse visit of focuses of the disease without need, extreme on that;
• to wear light clothes, shirts with long sleeves;
• at an exit to the street to take with itself repellents against insects;
• for the prevention of a disease of times in 6 months to do an intramuscular injection of pentamidine.