Plague is a disease named because it passed very quickly: all infected pigs have been in contact with sick animals. To plague affecting humans, the disease has nothing to do, as a viral infection, whereas the plague people have bacterial origin.

What is African swine fever, and what it is called

African swine fever - a viral, highly contagious disease of pigs which is manifested by fever, bleeding, inflammation, metabolic and necrotic (tissue death a) changes in various organs. The disease is also characterized by high mortality of animals.

The first cases of African swine fever appeared in the beginning of the last century in South Africa. The causative agent of the disease is a DNA virus, which the body accumulates sick pigs in all the organs, tissues and biological fluids. The virus is characterized by high resistance to external influences: in the soil, on trees, rocks, meat it can be stored up to six months. At room temperature, it lives up to one and a half years, at a temperature of 5 ° - up to five years. It is resistant to disinfectants such as formaldehyde and alkali, but is sensitive to acids and oxidizers - chloramines, chlorinated lime, carbolic, acetic acid, lactic acid.

How to apply

African swine sick as a domestic pigs and wild boars. In this wild pigs living in South Africa, the disease is asymptomatic, they just carry the virus (up to two years or more) - the source of infection for domestic animals. Infection occurs by contact through the gastro-intestinal tract (by care items, feed through humans and other animals, birds, fly, and so forth), as well as airborne and through intact skin of animals. The transmission of the disease with the help of some species of ticks, which are the reservoir and the carrier of the virus in regions disadvantaged by African swine fever. In the body, these mites African swine pathogen can persist for many years, and even transmitted to the progeny.

African swine fever is usually just a large number of sick animals, such outbreaks are called epizootic. The disease can start at any time of the year, but more often it happens in the summer and autumn. The incidence of animals in the area of ​​epizootic reaches 98-100%. Equally high and mortality.

At the beginning of the last century the disease was detected only in Africa, located in the southern hemisphere, but then, in the 50-60-ies of the last century it was brought first to Portugal and then to Spain, where permanent foci of infection persist to this day. In the 70-80s of the disease was recorded in America. At the same time, the infection penetrates into the territory of our country in the Odessa region and Moldova.

Since 2007, African swine fever spread in the Central Caucasus and server, as well as in the Caucasus (Georgia, Azerbayzhane). In Russia foci of infection flared up in the Krasnodar and Stavropol, North Ossetia, Chechnya.

Since, in accordance with the sanitary rules all livestock animals, which have been outbreaks, completely destroyed, the disease causes severe financial damage to those regions where the epizootic began.

Signs

The incubation period of the disease (time from infection until the first signs of the disease) is two to nine days. The disease can occur acutely and chronically. In acute during the beginning of the rapid and sudden, sharp rise in pigs is very high fever and lasts for two to three days, and then they have a cough, conjunctivitis, and irritability. A few days later the excitement gives way to general weakness, lethargy, joins shortness of breath, uneven heartbeats. Animals do not eat anything but drink a lot, there are vomiting, diarrhea or constipation Constipation - Watch out for food , Gastrointestinal bleeding, motor impairment (paralysis and paresis of limbs), liquid bloody discharge from the nose and eyes, sometimes - seizures. Most of these animals are killed.

Chronic disease lasts from four to six weeks manifested exhaustion, pneumonia Pneumonia - Symptoms and Causes , Various skin rashes, including hemorrhagic (as hemorrhage) character. Mortality in chronic course of the disease is lower than in acute.

The surviving pigs are virus carriers for a long time, while they have not produced protective antibodies Antibodies - "soldiers' immunity . In this regard it has not been developed until now a vaccine to prevent the disease.

Diagnosis and epidemiological measures in the hearth of the disease

The diagnosis of African swine fever is confirmed in the autopsy of the dead animals (in their internal organs revealed characteristic changes) and laboratory study of biological material. By PCR detected viral DNA. ELISA detected antibodies to infectious agents. All laboratory tests are carried out only in veterinary laboratories having accreditation for work with agents of especially dangerous infections.

Treat pigs infected with African swine Plague - whether justified reputation of the "black death"? , forbidden. All livestock herds destroyed, dead animals, uneaten food, the room burned. Measures are taken to prevent skidding of African swine fever in other areas.

Galina Romanenko

Doxycycline - Instructions for this medicinal product contains a full description of its mechanism of action, indications and contraindications for use and possible side effects. Because doxycycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, it can be used only on prescription.

The mechanism of action of doxycycline

Doxycycline - a semi-synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotic tetracycline, bacteriostatic (bacteria overwhelming livelihoods) action. Various pharmaceutical companies, the drug sold under the name Apo-Doxy, bassado, vibramitsin, vidoktsin, dovitsin, doksal, doksibene, doksidar, doksilan, dokst, medomitsin, monoclinic, newly doksilin, tetradoks, etidoksin, JUnidoks soljutab. Dosage forms: tablets, capsules, syrup, lyophilisates for solution for infusion.

The mechanism of action of doxycycline is associated with the suppression of protein synthesis in the bacterial cell. It is effective not only for common bacterial infections and infections caused by intracellular pathogens located (mycoplasma, ureaplasma, chlamydia).

Doxycycline is prescribed for the treatment of infections caused by bacteria sensitive to it, including intracellular. Doxycycline is active against staphylococci, streptococci, clostridia, gonococci, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella, E. coli, Shigella, Salmonella, ierseniyam, Treponema pallidum, and so on. High sensitivity to show intracellular bacteria - mycoplasma, ureaplasma and chlamydia Chlamydia: insidious and widespread disease .

A wide range of action of doxycycline allows you to actively suppress the vital activity of different pathogens (including highly dangerous) infections: plague, cholera, tularemia, anthrax.

Doxycycline is the most modern, effective and safe drug tetracycline.

Indications and contraindications for the use of doxycycline

Doxycycline prescribed for infectious and inflammatory conditions caused by bacteria sensitive to it, including:

• bronchopulmonary system - pharyngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, lung abscess;
• Upper respiratory tract - otitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, sinusitis;
• kidney and urinary tract - cystitis, pyelonephritis, urethritis;
• genitals - prostatitis, endometritis;
• STDs - gonorrhea, syphilis;
• liver and biliary tract - cholecystitis, cholangitis;
• gastrointestinal - gastroehnterokolitah, bacillary dysentery;
• skin and soft tissue - abscesses, abscesses, abscesses, boils;
• bacterial eye infections;
• especially dangerous infections - Plague Plague - whether justified reputation of the "black death"? , Cholera, tularemia.

Appoint doksiuiklin contraindicated in case of hypersensitivity to light, severe hepatic dysfunction, leukopenia (decrease in white blood cells in the blood), pregnancy, breast- Breastfeeding - a personal choice   feeding, children up to 8 years and hypersensitivity to the drug.

Side effects of doxycycline

Like all the antibiotics tetracycline, doxycycline has a number of side effects:

• the nervous system - transient increase in intracranial pressure (violation of appetite, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, blurred vision); transient visual disturbances, and vertigo Dizziness - if the ground is slipping from under his feet   may limit the ability of driving motor vehicles;
• from the gastrointestinal tract - nausea, diarrhea, constipation, inflammation of the tongue, esophagus, stomach, ulceration of the stomach wall and duodenum, small intestine and colon, the inflammation in the crotch area;
• from the blood - a decrease of peripheral blood erythrocyte, platelet, certain types of leukocytes;
• possible allergic reactions, sensitivity to light, steady darkening of the tooth enamel, superinfection (infections caused by doxycycline microorganisms insensitive to bacterial and fungi), the formation of stable complexes with calcium in bone and longitudinal growth retardation skeletal bones in children.

Use of doxycycline in conjunction with other drugs

Because doxycycline has a toxic effect on the liver, it should not be used concurrently with other drugs that provide hepatotoxic effects. Especially not recommended for use alcoholic beverages during treatment with doxycycline.

When applied simultaneously with doxycycline combined oral contraceptives (COCs) decreases the reliability of contraception and the risk of bleeding.

Galina Romanenko