What did trench fever cause?
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 is trench fever treated today?
Trench fever/urban trench fever – For uncomplicated disease, doxycycline 100 mg orally (PO) twice daily for 28 days and gentamicin 3 mg/kg/day intravenously (IV) for 14 days ; macrolides and ceftriaxone are also effective.
Is Trench Fever same as typhus?
Trench fever (due to Bartonella quintana) and epidemic typhus (due to Rickettsia prowazekii) are transmitted by the human body louse Pediculus humanus corporis (see Fig. 1.60).
Is Trench Fever Contagious?
Introduction. Bartonella quintana infection (historically called ‘trench fever’) is a vector-borne disease primarily transmitted by the human body louse Pediculus humanus humanus.
How did they stop 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 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.
Is trench fever curable?
Trench fever is not usually a serious disease and can be easily treated; if left untreated, serious complications include heart damage.
How many died of trench fever?
From 1915 to 1918 between one-fifth and one-third of all British troops reported ill had trench fever while about one-fifth of ill German and Austrian troops had the disease….
| Trench fever | |
|---|---|
| Causes | infected insect bite |
| Prevention | body hygiene |
| Medication | Tetracycline-group antibiotics |
| Deaths | Rare |
How do you prevent trench fever?
Trench fever, Bartonella quintana Avoid exposure to human body lice. Body lice are typically associated with crowded living conditions and limited access to bathing and clean clothes. Do not share clothing, beds, bedding, and towels used by a person who might have body lice.
What are the symptoms of trench fever in adults?
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. Images of Trench Fever (1)
What was the first case of trench fever?
In 1915, a British medical officer on the Western Front reported on a soldier with relapsing fever, headache, dizziness, lumbago, and shin pain. Within months, additional cases were described, mostly in frontline troops, and the new disease was called trench fever.
When do you get trench fever from a tick bite?
Infection with B. henselae occurs when an infected tick bites a human, passing the bacteria along through the tiny bite wound. Symptoms of trench fever begin about 2 weeks to a month after exposure to the bacteria. Sudden fever, loss of energy, dizziness, headache, weight loss, skin rash, severe muscle and bone pain can occur.
How long does it take for trench fever to return?
However, the test results may take weeks to return, so your doctor will likely initiate treatment with a common antibiotic based on your signs, symptoms, and history. It will be important to follow your doctor’s recommendations regarding getting rid of body lice; otherwise, you may become reinfected. There is no vaccine for trench fever.
What causes trench fever?
Fevers Trench. Trench fever is caused by the Gram-negative bacterium, Bartonella quintana. The disease is spread by the human louse and is characterized by sudden onset of fever, headaches, myalgias, shin pain, arthralgia, and cutaneous lesions on the chest and back.
What is trench disease?
Trench fever (also known as “five-day fever”, “quintan fever” ( febris quintana in Latin ), and “urban trench fever”) is a moderately serious disease transmitted by body lice. It infected armies in Flanders, France, Poland, Galicia , Italy, Salonika , Macedonia , Mesopotamia , Russia and Egypt in World War I.
What diseases did trench warfare cause?
With soldiers fighting in close proximity in the trenches, usually in unsanitary conditions, infectious diseases such as dysentery, cholera and typhoid fever were common and spread rapidly. Constant exposure to wetness caused trench foot, a painful condition in which dead tissue spread across one or both feet,…