Trench fever is transmitted by the human body louse
How was trench fever spread?
Bartonella quintana infection (historically called ‘trench fever') is a vector-borne disease primarily transmitted by the human body louse Pediculus humanus humanus .
How do you cure trench fever?
Trench Fever is treated with a wide range of antibiotics , including tetracycline, doxycycline, erythromycin, azithromycin, or ceftriaxone. It has been demonstrated, however, that only aminoglycosides have a bactericidal effect on the microorganism (Foucault et al., 2006).
What is the causative agent of trench fever?
Introduction. Bartonella quintana infection (historically called ‘trench fever') is a vector-borne disease primarily transmitted by the human body louse Pediculus humanus humanus .
Is trench fever infectious?
| Trench fever | Specialty Infectious disease | Symptoms fever | Duration 5 days | Causes infected insect bite |
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What happens if you get trench fever?
Trench fever is a bacterial disease transmitted by body lice. The symptoms include relapsing fevers, muscle aches, pain behind the eyes , severe headache, joint pain, rash, liver and spleen enlargement, and pain in the shins.
How did soldiers treat trench fever?
When medical officers first tried to treat trench fever, they used those medicaments that they had nearest to hand : those they carried in their standard issue drug boxes. One of these, quinine, was the first drug reportedly used to treat the condition.
How do you prevent trench fever?
- Avoid exposure to human body lice. ...
- Do not share clothing, beds, bedding, and towels used by a person who might have body lice.
- Information about treating body lice is also available.
Where is trench fever found?
quintana is transmitted to humans when feces from infected lice are rubbed into abraded skin or the conjunctiva. Trench fever is endemic in Mexico, Tunisia, Eritrea, Poland, and the former Soviet Union and is reappearing in the homeless population in the US.
What is trench syndrome?
Trench fever is a clinical syndrome caused by infection with Bartonella quintana ; the condition was first described during World War I. Contemporary B quintana disease, commonly referred to as urban trench fever, is typically found in homeless, alcoholic, and poor populations.
How did soldiers prevent trench fever?
Soldiers had a name for lice, “cooties,” and external treatments were called “cootie oils.” As with typhus on the Eastern Front – a rickettsial disease that killed soldiers – control of lice was the key to managing the epidemic of Trench Fever.
How long does Bartonella stay in your body?
henselae), is an infectious disease with symptoms that can vary from mild to severe. Although in most patients the disease resolves spontaneously within 2-4 months without treatment , in people with severe cases and/or patients with a suppressed immune system, such as HIV/AIDS, antibiotic treatment is recommended.
What were duckboards in the trenches?
‘Duckboards' (or ‘ trench gratings ‘) were first used at Ploegsteert Wood, Ypres in December 1914. They were used throughout the First World War being usually placed at the bottom of the trenches to cover the sump-pits, the drainage holes which were made at intervals along one side of the trench.
What was life like in the trenches?
Trenches were long, narrow ditches dug into the ground where soldiers lived. They were very muddy, uncomfortable and the toilets overflowed . These conditions caused some soldiers to develop medical problems such as trench foot.
How do humans get Q fever?
People can get infected by breathing in dust that has been contaminated by infected animal feces, urine, milk, and birth products. Some people never get sick; however, those who do usually develop flu-like symptoms including fever, chills, fatigue, and muscle pain.
What medicine did they have in the trenches?
When medical officers first tried to treat trench fever
