Malaria is ... Carriers of malaria. Symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of malaria

Malaria is a serious disease, sometimes fatal. People who become infected with it usually have severe symptoms, including chills, fever, flu-like conditions. Malaria disease has a high probability of death. However, timely and correct treatment can prevent this. The causative agent of malaria is the plasmodium, living in the body of a certain type of mosquito, which feeds on human blood. Below this question will be considered in more detail. Information on the treatment and prevention of the disease can be found in this publication.

History

Symptoms of malaria have been described in ancient Chinese medical writings. Several characteristic signs of the disease, which was later called malaria, are found in the work of the imperial doctor, Ney Jing, "The canons of medicine." This ailment was widely known in Greece already in the 4th century BC, at that time it caused a high mortality rate of the population. The main symptoms were noted by Hippocrates and other philosophers and physicians of antiquity. The Hindu physician Susruta, a thinker and adherent of Ayurveda, also mentioned malaria symptoms in his treatise and told about their appearance after the bites of some insects. Some Roman writers linked malaria to marshes.

The inquisitive minds of mankind have always sought ways to cure all kinds of ailments. What methods were not used for the therapy of malaria in ancient times: bloodletting, amputation of the bitten limb, the use of opium ... Even astrologers who linked the frequency of the occurrence of malarial fevers with astronomical phenomena and the position of the stars in the sky were attracted. Many turned to witchcraft. Scientist Albert Magnus, a Dominican, offered to treat malaria by eating small buns prepared from flour and urine of a sick person, and also drinking a drink that included cognac, blood of infected and pepper.

Ancient Greek physician Galen, who worked in Rome, suggested that vomiting that occurs with malaria is an attempt by the body to expel the poisons outward, and bloodletting speeds up the cure. These principles prevailed in medicine for fifteen hundred years. Countless malaria patients were subjected to bloodletting and forced purification of the stomach and intestines by enema and vomiting. This led to disastrous results: people died from anemia and dehydration, as well as from the destructive symptoms of malaria in even shorter periods.

In China in the 2nd century BC. In the works of physicians, a plant artemisia, or sweet wormwood, was described, which was used as a remedy for malaria. Interestingly, in 1971, Chinese scientists isolated from it the active ingredient - artemisin. During the war in Vietnam, active work was carried out to study the antimalarial properties of sweet wormwood. Plant extracts were fed to laboratory mice and rats infected with malaria strains. Artemisinin proved to be quite effective, just like quinine and chloroquine. Derivatives of this substance are now included in the composition of powerful and effective antimalarial drugs.

The species of plasmodium, which causes malaria, was first discovered by the French physician and scientist Laverana in the late 19th century. Russian researchers have made a huge contribution to the study of the disease and the development of methods for its elimination. Among these scientists it is worth noting Ye.I. Martsinovsky, V.A. Danilevsky, S.P. Botkin. In the periods of the First and Second World Wars, outbreaks of the incidence of malaria were noted.

Of the two hundred existing species of parasitic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium, malaria is caused by at least ten. Among them P. ovalecurtisi, P. wallikeri, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. knowlesi. The most serious and dangerous in terms of mortality, malaria is caused by microorganisms P. knowlesi and P. falciparumand. Infection, leading to the development of the disease, is transmitted exclusively by mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. Malaria infection is more likely to occur during active travel around the world, especially in remote endemic areas of the planet, as well as in human interaction with wild animals.

Data

Malaria is a disease caused by parasitic protozoan plasmodia, which infects an average of 200 million people a year around the globe. As a result, for this reason, there are 500,000 deaths. The causative agent of malaria enters the body with the bites of malarial mosquitoes. What happens next? The parasite of malaria undergoes a complex life cycle in the body of the mosquito, and then in the body of the infected person. The cycle repeats if a mosquito bites a person who is already infected and has a parasite in his blood that causes the disease "malaria". The photo of the pathogen is presented below.

The regions with the highest mortality from this disease are Africa, Asia, Central and South America. Malaria is a disease that affects a very large number of people visiting these areas. In sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of cases (86%) are children under the age of 5 years. About 40% of the world's population is at risk of infection. The incubation period is from one to three weeks. Some people can become carriers of so-called sleeping parasites. In this case, the activation of the infection can occur several months or even years after plasmodium malaria has entered the body.

Symptoms

Malaria is a disease whose symptoms include chills, fever, headaches and muscle pains. Some patients experience nausea, vomiting, coughing and diarrhea. The condition of the fever is repeated every one, two or three days - this is the most typical manifestation of malaria. Tremors and a feeling of cold are replaced by the so-called hot stage, which is characterized by high fever, convulsions, headaches and vomiting.

Complications are often signs of a form of ailment, such as tropical malaria. Due to the destruction of red blood cells and liver cells, jaundice of the skin and eye proteins, as well as diarrhea and cough, can be observed. In more rare cases, a rash appears on the body in the form of itchy, reddish papules. Malaria is determined by such signs. Photo of the vector of the disease is presented above.

Heavy forms, for example, if the causative agent of malaria is Plasmodium falciparum, are accompanied by such problems as:

• Bleeding;
• Hepatic and renal insufficiency;
• Shock and coma;
• Defeat of the central nervous system.

Without timely treatment, these symptoms often lead to death.

How is it transmitted?

So, let's take a closer look at how the malaria agent enters the body and develops in it. The life cycle of the malaria parasite Plasmodium is complex, the microorganism has two hosts - a human and a malarial mosquito. As stated above, the disease is transmitted through an insect bite, in which the parasite enters directly into the blood.

Sporozoites (immature plasmodia) travel through the human bloodstream and enter the liver. There they mature and infect the red blood cells - red blood cells, inside which develop until the patient again bites the vector of malaria - the mosquito. Getting into the body of an insect, plasmodia penetrate into its salivary glands, and with the next bite in the form of sporozoites again begin their life cycle in the blood of a person.

The developmental processes of such species as P. ovale and P. vivax may be even more complex and include the formation of inactive forms-hypnosis, which often remain inactive for several weeks or even years. In the body of the malarial mosquito of the plasmodia pass the sexual period of its life cycle, and in the human body the pathogen is in the asexual phase, which is also called schizogony. Therefore, the cycle of plasmodium development in red blood cells is called erythrocytic schizogony.

How is the infection transmitted? Its sources are the females of malarial mosquitoes and the infected person (both the patient and the carrier). It is worth noting that malaria is a disease that is not transmitted among people either by domestic or airborne droplets. Infection can occur only if the patient's blood enters the body of a healthy person.

Diagnostic Features

If the above symptoms occur, especially after travel, it is recommended to take tests for the presence of malarial plasmodium. Manifestations of many diseases can resemble the symptoms of malaria. These are, for example, yellow fever, typhoid fever, influenza, cholera, measles and tuberculosis. Therefore, the doctor should know the history of travel of a sick person in order to prescribe the necessary analyzes.

Diagnosis of malaria primarily involves conducting a classic and most commonly used test - a study of a blood smear on a slide, which uses a color indicator that indicates the presence of parasites inside the red blood cells. Despite the fact that this test is considered quite simple, the correctness of the results largely depends on the technical skill of the laboratory assistant, who prepares and treats blood products under a microscope.

Other tests that can help in diagnosing an ailment:

• Immunological analyzes;
• Polymerase chain reaction.

Treatment

The features of therapy depend on several factors:

• A species of plasmodium that has entered the body;
• The clinical situation of the patient, for example, treatment will be different for an adult, a child and a pregnant woman, for a severe and mild form of ailment;
• Drug sensitivity of the pathogen.

The last factor depends on the geographical area in which the infection was obtained. The fact is that different regions of the world have different types of malarial plasmodia, which are resistant to certain drugs. Means from malaria can be selected correctly by a doctor who is familiar with the information from malaria treatment protocols in different countries of the world. People infected with the species of P. falciparum can die without timely treatment, so therapeutic measures must be taken immediately.

Mild forms of malaria are treated with oral medications. Complex symptoms such as severe anemia, impaired consciousness, coma, pulmonary edema, renal failure, acute respiratory syndrome, disseminated intravascular coagulation, spontaneous bleeding, acidosis, presence of hemoglobin in the urine, jaundice and generalized convulsions, require intravenous medication.

How to get rid of malaria with the help of medications? Treatment of ailment with medicines is not always successful. "Aralen" is effective against all plasmodium, except for parasite strains resistant to its active substance, for example, Plasmodium ovale. To combat chloroquine resistant varieties of malaria, the following options for drug treatment can be used:

• Quinine sulfate in combination with antibiotics "Doxycycline" or "Tetracycline".
• Preparations "Clindamycin" or "Maralon".

Treatment of malaria in most cases is based on the template schemes adopted for a particular region. For example, P. falciparum, acquired in the Middle East, is sensitive to chloroquine, but if the infection with the same type of malaria occurred in Africa, then this substance may not yield positive results in treatment.

Modern scientists have developed therapy schemes based on the combination of drugs with derivatives of the active antimalarial compound - artemisin. Examples of combined medicines:

• "Artesunate-Amodiachin".
• Artesunat-Meflokhin.
• "Dihydroartemizin-Piperakhin".

The development of new treatments for malaria is ongoing, which is associated with an increase in the number of drug-resistant strains of plasmodium. One of the promising compounds in the development of effective drugs for malaria is spiroindolone, which proved effective against a variety of P. falciparum pathogen in a number of experiments.

The drug "Primachin" can be used to treat forms of malaria, the causative agents of which were inactive for a long time in the liver. This can prevent severe relapse of the disease. Pregnant women should not take Primax. Contraindicated this drug and people who are deficient in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. For this reason, the remedy is not assigned until the diagnostic screening test does not eliminate the problem. In some countries, in addition to oral and injectable forms of drugs, suppositories are also used.

Disease in the period of gestation

Malaria is a serious threat to the pregnant woman and the fetus. Infection significantly increases the risk of premature birth and stillbirth. Statistics show that in sub-Saharan Africa, up to 30% of children die of malaria every year. Therefore, all pregnant women who live in hazardous areas or plan a trip there must necessarily consult with a doctor and take the prescribed drugs, for example, "Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine". This is a necessary prevention of malaria, allowing to avoid infection.

Treatment of the disease in women waiting for a child is performed according to the standard scheme discussed above. However, such drugs as Primachin, Tetracycline, Doxycycline and Halofantrine are not recommended because of the potential hazard to the fetus.

Disease in children

Malaria prevention is compulsory for all children, including infants living or staying in the areas of the spread of the disease for some time. The following means can serve as preventive measures: "Khlorokhin" and "Meflohin".

It is very important to use the correct dosage for the child, which depends on his age and weight. All parents before traveling with a baby to countries at risk should consult a specialist in infectious diseases for treatment and prevention of the ailment in question. Since an overdose of an antimalarial drug can be fatal, all medicines must be stored in a place inaccessible to children, for example, in tightly closed containers.

Prevention of infection

If a person intends to go to areas where malaria is common, first of all he must find out what means and in what dosages should be taken to prevent infection. It is recommended that you start taking these drugs two weeks before the proposed trip, during your stay in the country and for a month after returning from your trip. Currently, the vaccine against malaria is not established, but intensive research is underway, the vaccine is under development.

If possible, avoid visiting countries with a high percentage of infected, otherwise malaria prevention is mandatory - it can save your health and save lives. If you are a traveler, try to be always aware of where the outbreaks are currently occurring. The carrier of malaria can land on the skin of a person at any time of the day, but most bites occur at night. Insects are also most active at dawn and at dusk. Avoid staying outdoors during these hours. Prevention of infection is very important, given that the vaccine against malaria is not created.

Wear appropriate clothing - wear trousers, long-sleeved shirts, high closed shoes instead of open sandals, and hats. Tuck clothes in trousers. Use insecticidal repellents, for example, you can recommend the product "Permetrin", which processes clothing and equipment. Remember that good products contain up to fifty percent diethyltoluamide. Mosquito nets are especially necessary when the room is not ventilated, for example, there is no air conditioning. Treat them with aerosol repellents. It is also recommended to use mosquito coils.

Vaccine

Currently, there is no available malaria vaccine. However, over the past few years, researchers have achieved good results with experimental vaccines. The newest major clinical trials involving children from eight African countries, sponsored by the Bill Gates Foundation, showed that the study drug was effective in half the cases. Many other experiments have also become successful and prophesy reliable protection against the described ailment in the near future. Experts say that the vaccine against malaria will appear within 3-10 years. The proposed action is based on interrupting the life cycle of the parasite with a protein preparation that produces antibodies against it.

Types of the disease

Above, the main types of causative agents of the disease were named. Can and the course of the disease. We shall name the main types of malaria:

• Tropical;
• Three-day;
• Four days;
• Malaria-ovale.

The four-day malaria manifests itself in six to ten hours of fever, which usually begins in the morning or afternoon. Severe consequences are rare, the incubation period can be up to 5 months. Tropical malaria is characterized by a high concentration of parasites in the blood, fever is vague, often there are symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, central nervous system damage, kidney failure. Complications often develop. The three-day malaria is manifested by severe fever, including chills, increased sweating and fever, but with a fuzzy alternation with periods of remission.

Folk remedies

Medications are the basis of malaria treatment. But many sources point to the benefit of some natural remedies in the treatment of the disease caused by plasmodia. Here we publish only some of them, and in no case these recipes and recommendations can not be considered as the main means of treatment.

Lime and lemon are useful for a four-day fever. About three grams of chalk is dissolved in 60 ml of water and the juice of one lemon or lime is added. This compound should be drunk before the fever begins.

Alum is also considered as a supporting agent in the treatment of malaria. They are fried in a hot frying pan and ground into powder. Inside take a teaspoon of funds four hours before the alleged fever and half a teaspoon two hours after it.