Infected with rabies how does it affect behavior?

The Rage It is a viral infectious disease that has been recognized for millennia for its rapid evolution and incredible clinical manifestations. It is transmitted by animal -blooded hot -blooded animal vectors such as: bats, dogs, cats, mapaches, folly and even humans.

The rabies virus belongs to the genus of the Lysssavirus of the Rhabdoviridae group and its structure is formed by bullet -shaped RNA that It is transmitted by 90% by means of the bite of a vector animal (which may only bearer of the virus) through saliva.

A characteristic form and uncommon transmission is through inhalation of the virus, which occurs when the patient is in areas with many concentrated bats.

Content

• Rabies: The development of the disease
• Phases of rabies disease
  • The prodromic phase
  • The neurological phase
  • Coma phase
• Rabies treatment
• Final comments
  • References

Rabies: The development of the disease

The development of the disease begins with the virus inoculation, which enters the intramuscular route.

The virus begins to replicate locally until reaching a neuromuscular union, where the infection of the nervous system will begin by joining the acetylcholinic receptors.

Once here, the virus travels through the afferent (sensitive) peripheral nerves.

It moves until the spinal cord is reached and finally ascends until it reaches the brain. When the infection reaches brain neurons, clinical symptoms in the patient begin to appear.

Finally, The infection ends when it begins to spread by sensitive nerves of the central nervous system (CNS) to other tissues of the autonomic nervous system (SNA): salivary glands, heart, skin and adrenal.

Commonly the incubation period of rabies is between 20 to 90 days from the exhibition but it can also be from a few days to more than a year. This variability is due to the fact that it depends on the amount of inoculated virus and its replication speed until it reaches the CNS.

Phases of rabies disease

The clinical picture consists of 3 phases characteristic

• The prodromic phase
• Neurological phase
• Finally, the state of eat

The prodromic phase

The prodromic phase lasts from 2 to 10 days And it is the beginning of the clinical stage with the Gradual appearance of the general symptoms of infection.

It is relatively nonspecific and among its signs are: fever, headache, general discomfort, nausea and vomiting.

In most cases, they appear neurological symptoms: Paresthesia, pain or pruritus in the area of ​​infection (pathognomic signs of pathology). Consciousness is maintained with a certain presence of anxiety/agitation.

The neurological phase

The neurological phase has a duration of 2 to 7 days and is composed of two variations: Encephalitic rage (80% of cases) and paralytic rage (20% of cases). 

• Encephaly rabies, Also known as the excitative stage, it presents: accelerated pulse, aggressiveness, hallucinations, increased SNA activity: priapism, pilot, hypersialorrhea (increase in salivary secretion, "foam"), etc.
  • There are lucidity and seizures, these lapses are increasingly short of each other. Failures in the brain stem cause a characteristic sign of this type of rage: Hydrophobia and aerophobia, because there are painful and involuntary spasms of all the swallowing/breathing muscles that cause a patient for a rejection of drinking water for fear of suffering the consequences.
  • The patient can become very aggressive, with swollen, reddish and hypersialorrhea eyes, offering a fearsome image. If in one of the episodes of aggressiveness it bites others, it can transmit the disease.
• Paralytic rabies is less drastic than brain, but it can last more. It is more associated with bats by bats than by dogs. The spinal cord is more affected than the brain, therefore, there are different symptoms. The manifestations consist of the most gradual and ascending paralysis of the skeletal muscles until they reach the heart muscle and death.

Coma phase

Finally, The condition to the nervous system is so important that the infected enters into a coma and dies, In many cases, after a terrible agony, as in case of brain rabies.

Rabies treatment

The treatment begins with prophylaxis, This is of the utmost importance since it is believed that the correct hygiene of the wound can avoid the development of the pathology by 90%.

The wound must be washed with soap and water, alcohol and chloride from Benzalconio. Finally, we proceed to vaccinate the patient With human diploid cell vaccines (HDCV) that contain the inactive virus with Beta Propriolactona.

Currently, it is the one that causes lower secondary and allergenic reactions. Administration occurs in 6 doses on days 0, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 90 after the exhibition.

Half of the dose is administered in the place of the wound and the other half is intramuscularly (by slow release). Fortunately, if there is the correct prevention, control and treatment of the disease they have a very favorable forecast.

Final comments

The main importance of knowing this disease is that, despite not being so common in developed countries, It must be taken into account when there has been contact with any animal of doubtful origin since if a preventive treatment against rage is not provided from the beginning of the exhibition, it is very difficult to combat it.

Once the infection presents manifestations, it is because the CNS is infected. When this happens there is nothing to do, the patient dies within 15 days more or less.

References

Peña-Herrera, b. And Marcial, P. (2018) Neurosciences: etiology of brain damage. Samborondón: University Holy - Ecuador.