Tick-borne diseases include not only Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis, but also Q fever, also known as goat flu. Find out how the infection occurs and what the symptoms are.
Although infection with Q fever, i.e. goat flu, is not common, since only a few cases have been reported in Poland, it is worth learning more about it, as it can pose a threat to health and even life. Q fever is a zoonosis, a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. It is caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii, which is transmitted by ticks. The tick, feeding on an infected animal, along with its feces leaves dangerous bacteria on its skin, wool and wool. Animals (cattle, sheep, goats, dogs and other domestic animals) become carriers of the disease and can infect humans. Goat flu is most often transmitted by airborne droplets. Dried faeces, together with dust, form dust containing the bacteria Coxiella burneti, enters the respiratory tract and causes human infection.
Q Fever - Symptoms
According to the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), a goat flu infection can be asymptomatic but can be serious. The illness starts suddenly and is often mistaken for the flu. In mild cases, the most common symptoms are:
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fever and chills
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cough,
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headaches and muscle pain,
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pneumonia,
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hepatitis,
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cholecystitis.
In a severe form of the disease, which occurs in about 2 percent. patients, the most common symptoms are:
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fever lasting several weeks
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pneumonia with respiratory failure
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diarrhea and vomiting
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hepatitis,
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jaundice,
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cirrhosis of the liver,
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myocarditis,
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pericarditis with pericardial effusion
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skin rash
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encephalitis and meningitis,
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coma.
It should also be noted chronic fatigue, tremors and muscle pain, fatigue during exercise, blurred vision and swollen lymph nodes, which are rare symptoms.
How to confirm infection with goat flu?
When identifying and confirming a disease in a person, it is useful to conduct specialized tests:
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enzyme immunoassay using specific antibodies (ELISA),
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genetic tests based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR),
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serological methods, including those based on immunofluorescence (ELISA).
After establishing the diagnosis of the disease, it is necessary to start long-term treatment. Patients are treated with antibiotics such as doxycycline and sulfonamides.
Source: Wprost
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