It was his yellow, bloody eyes that revealed his illness. The 18-year-old girl, who was previously healthy, showed up to the Dutch emergency department after two days of fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Her heart was pounding and her stomach was a little bloated.
The whites of his eyes had blood flecks, a sign of ruptured blood vessels on the surface of his eyes. Laboratory tests later showed that he had acute kidney injury and liver dysfunction. But an equally important clue as to the cause of his acute illness was the mention that he fell into a canal three weeks before him.
Overall, this was a textbook case, according to a report recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The man had a rare but severe attack of leptospirosis, a bacterial infection characterized by fever, jaundice, renal failure, and bleeding. Source: Drops into canals likely contaminated with urine from infected rodents.
Leptospirosis is caused by spiral-shaped bacteria Interrogation of Leptospira, silently infecting various animals and setting up shop in their kidneys. The bacterium can be found harmlessly infecting pigs, horses, cows, dogs, various wild animals and even frogs. However, they are the most dangerous to humans through the common brown rat. Norwegian rat.
The bacteria are shed in the urine of infected animals and can be transmitted through direct contact or exposure to contaminated water or soil. Spiral intruders enter humans through cuts and mucous membranes such as the eyes. Once invaded, it can multiply in the bloodstream and attack the liver and kidneys. Severe cases can progress to meningitis, organ failure, and acute respiratory distress.
L. ask It is found worldwide, but is primarily endemic to humid tropical and subtropical regions. The World Health Organization estimates that there are over 500,000 cases of leptospirosis each year. About 10% of cases are severe, and about 5-15% of severe cases are fatal, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Antibiotics such as doxycycline and penicillin are effective in clearing the infection.
A week of hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics resolved the symptoms in the young man. At 3-week follow-up, all his symptoms resolved.
