Sodoku is a rat bite disease. Feature and danger of the disease

There are animals in nature that can bring fear, trouble and unpleasant emotions to a person. Such animals include animals from the family of mouse-like rodents – rats. In addition, rats can be carriers of infectious diseases. When bitten by a rat, infection with spirochetosis is possible. Then sodoku disease develops. Read the clinical manifestations and diagnostic methods of sodoku at estet-portal.com.

Rat bite disease. Features of the infectious process in sodoku

Sodoku is an infectious process that develops after a rat bite and belongs to bacterial anthropozoonosis. The name comes from the Japanese language - from the words «so» - rat and « doku» - poison. To date, the disease is common in all countries of the world.

The infectious process is caused by a spirilla from the family of spirochetes. Spirilla – it is a thin spiral bacterium. It is sensitive to high temperatures and disinfectants. The source and reservoir of the pathogen are rats, in which the infectious process occurs in the form of keratitis and conjunctivitis. The infection is transmitted by saliva through a bite.

Bacteria are also found in the blood and tissues of the body. It is known that rats are often used for experiments. Cases of infection of laboratory staff due to the ingestion of animal secretions on humans during the experiment are described. If there were lesions on the skin or mucous membranes, a person became infected with sodoku.

Boys under the age of 14 are more likely to be affected. This is probably due to the curiosity to play in basements and abandoned rooms, where there can be many rats and other rodents.

The entrance gate for the infectious process is the bite site. Most often it is the hand. At the bite site, the primary effect is observed – local inflammatory response. This reaction is characterized by cellular infiltration, hyperemia and loss of fibrin strands.

Further, the infectious process spreads through the lymphogenous pathway, which leads to hyperplasia of the lymphatic apparatus. Then comes hematogenous dissemination, in which the pathogen spreads through the bloodstream to all organs.

Relapses of fever – main symptom of sodoku

It takes about 2 weeks from the moment of the bite to the first clinical manifestations. At this time, the bite wound is in the scarring stage, and often patients do not associate their condition with the bite. But at the site of the bite, painful swelling, redness and swelling of the tissues reappear. Further, necrotic ulceration of the infiltrate occurs. Regional lymphadenitis and lymphangitis begin. It is these symptoms that constitute the primary affect in the infectious process of sodoku.

The general manifestations of sodoku are acute and sudden. The body temperature rises to 39-40⁰С, which is accompanied by chills and pain in the muscles, joints and headache. A high temperature usually lasts up to 6 days, then drops sharply and is accompanied by profuse sweating.

After that, after a few days, a temperature recurrence appears, and it lasts for 3 days. Such relapses of a feverish state can be up to 20 times with a gradual weakening of a feverish state. This condition can last for several months.

On the second day after the onset of fever, a rash appears on the skin, which from the bite site can spread throughout the body. The rash may be urticarial, maculo – papular or maculo – erythematous. All subsequent recurrences of fever are accompanied by a wave of polymorphic rashes.

When the fever recurs, the rash becomes brighter. Sodoku is characterized by the phenomenon of "theatrical make-up", which consists in hyperemia of the eyelids against the background of a pale face.

In addition to all this, there is an increase in the spleen and liver. Myositis, conjunctivitis, bronchopneumonia, glomerulonephritis, endocarditis, polyarthritis and endocarditis may appear.

Diagnostics and treatment of infectious process in sodoku

First of all, to determine the cause of the infectious process, anamnesis data are important: possible contact with rodents, relapses of fever, in which rashes appear and become brighter. The diagnosis is confirmed by the detection of spirilla in a thick drop of blood and a smear from the primary affect.

Bacteriological blood cultures are used on a nutrient medium. To detect antibodies to bacteria in the blood, the reactions of RA, RIF and RSK are used. Sodoku often has a positive Wassermann reaction, in which case it is considered a false positive.

The bite site is subject to surgical debridement. For the etiotropic treatment of the infectious process, antibacterial drugs of the penicillin series are used for a course of up to 10 days. Patients are subject to hospitalization if infected with sodoku.

With untreated sodoku infection, symptoms continue for up to six months. This leads to exhaustion of patients, which can be fatal. To prevent infection, sodoku must carry out deratization (destroy rats), in every possible way avoid any contact with rodents. In the event of a bite, as a preventive measure, taking tetracycline antibiotics can prevent the infectious process. There is no specific immunization against sodoku.