Tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis (Lyme disease) are dangerous infectious diseases. And both diseases can develop in humans in parallel. The main mechanism of infection is transmissible, i.e. when bitten by ticks with their saliva, the infection gets into the blood. There are also known cases of infection when using non-thermally treated milk from sick animals (often goats). Consider what are the symptoms, methods of diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis.
Symptoms of tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis
The causative agent of tick-borne encephalitis is a virus that penetrates into the human body, begins to multiply at first in the skin, and then predominantly in the nervous tissue, leading to its damage. Borreliosis is caused by bacteria of the genus Borrelia, which when ingested enters the internal organs, lymphatic tissues, joints, etc., causing inflammation. The incubation period for both diseases lasts approximately 7-14 days.
Tick-borne encephalitis often occurs in two phases, for which the following manifestations are characteristic:
1. The first phase (lasts 2-4 days):
- sudden increase in body temperature;
- weakness;
- chills;
- headache;
- nausea;
- pain in the muscles.
2. The second phase (comes after an eight-day remission):
- fever;
- severe pain in the head;
- increasing the tone of the neck muscles;
- convulsions;
- impaired consciousness;
- sensitivity disorders;
- motor disorders, etc.
It is worth noting that in most cases the bite site for tick-borne encephalitis remains inflamed, edematous.
Boreilliosis usually occurs in three stages and has the following symptoms:
1. General infectious stage (lasts 4-5 weeks):
- general malaise;
- increased body temperature;
- pain in the muscles;
- stiffness of the neck muscles;
- appearance and gradual increase in the size of the reddening of the annular form around the site of the bite;
- conjunctivitis ;
- rash on face, hives;
- pain in the liver, etc.
2. Stage neurological and cardiac complications (lasts until the 22nd week):
- serous meningitis;
- neuritis of the cranial nerves;
- radiculoneuritis;
- myocarditis ;
- pericarditis;
- various disorders of cardiac activity, etc.
3. Stage of articular, cutaneous and other inflammatory disorders (after six months):
- inflammation of the joints;
- inflammation of the lymph nodes;
- atrophic acrodermatitis;
- focal scleroderma, etc.
Blood tests for tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis
To confirm the diagnosis no earlier than 10 days after the bite, you can conduct a blood test using the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method, which identifies the pathogens of infections. Also two weeks after the bite, a blood test for antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis virus is performed, and after a month - on antibodies to Borrelia.
Treatment of tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis
Treatment of these diseases is carried out in infectious departments, while specialists of various specialties - therapists, rheumatologists, neurologists, cardiologists, etc., are involved. The treatment is based on the effect on pathogens pathogens. Also, appropriate symptomatic therapy is performed, physiotherapy procedures are prescribed, in some cases - massage, therapeutic gymnastics, psychotherapy.
In tick-borne encephalitis, the following drugs may be prescribed:
- antiviral agents;
- specific donor immunoglobulin;
- homologous gamma globulin;
- ribonuclease (enzyme preparation);
- interferon preparations, etc.
When Borrelia is prescribed antibiotics:
- Tetracycline;
- Ceftriaxone;
- penicillins and others.
An alternative method of treatment of tick-borne encephalitis and borreliosis is exposure to bioresonance, but to date the effectiveness of this method has not been scientifically confirmed.