Learn what is spotted fever, a new disease that has already victimized people in Brazil

Adrisa De Góes – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS (AM) – After the Adolfo Lutz Institute confirmed the third death by spotted fever in the State of São Paulo, on Tuesday, 13, the search for the term on the Internet skyrocketed. According to Google Trends, a Google tool that shows the most popular subjects on the web, there were more than 500,000 searches since the confirmation until this Wednesday, 14.

The increase in suspected cases in the last week, followed by the confirmation, drew the attention of Internet users to the risks of the disease, caused by bacteria and transmitted by tick bites. The main questions about the disease are: what is it; transmission; symptoms and treatment.

Spotted fever: what is it?

According to the Ministry of Health, spotted fever is an acute infectious and febrile disease caused by bacteria of the genus rickettsia (Rickettsia), which is most commonly transmitted by the star tick (Amblyomma cajennense). With a high lethality rate, it can range from mild and atypical clinical forms to severe forms.

In Brazil, there are two species of rickettsia: rickettsii and parkeri. The first leads to Brazilian Spotted Fever (FMB), a disease considered serious, recorded in the north of the state of Paraná, as well as in the states of the Southeast. The second, on the other hand, has records in Atlantic Forest environments, such as Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Bahia and Ceará, and has less severe clinical pictures.

How does transmission happen?

To transmit the disease, the tick needs to stay for at least four hours attached to the person’s skin. However, not all ticks transmit the disease, only those that already host the Rickettsia bacteria.

The pediatrician and sanitarian Daniel Becker affirms that there is no transmission of the disease from one person to another: “It is not every tick that kills. Don’t get distressed. Don’t panic if you find ticks on your children. This is a rare disease, more prevalent in the Southeast, in the North of Paraná and in the State of the Southeast, but it is still rare”, he explains in a video posted on social networks.

According to veterinarian Thiago Góes, in animals, the star tick has a preference to lodge in horses, capybaras and tapirs. If there is not one of these species for it to complete its life cycle, it goes after another host.

“Generally, it is in this attempt to find a host, which is not one of these three, that it ends up attacking dogs, cats, some other farm animals and, eventually, it ends up attacking humans”, he told CENARIUM MAGAZINE.

What are the symptoms of the disease?

The main symptoms of spotted fever are fever, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, constant muscle pain, swelling, and redness on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Some people can also get gangrene in the fingers and ears.

The Ministry of Health also points out that, in some cases, the disease can also cause limb paralysis, which starts in the legs and can go up to the lungs, which can cause respiratory arrest. The first symptoms appear from two to 14 days after the bite, but, in most cases, seven days later.

What is the treatment like?

As soon as the first symptoms appear, the infected person should seek a health unit, in order to avoid more serious forms of the disease. The treatment is carried out with specific antibiotics, so an accurate diagnosis is important.

Depending on the severity of the case, the patient may need to be hospitalized. The lack or delay in the treatment of spotted fever can worsen the case and lead to death.

Latest confirmed cases

On Wednesday, 14, the Health Department of Campinas confirmed the notification of another suspected case of spotted fever in the city. With this, there are six possible records of the disease, associated with Santa Margarida Farm.

The most recent patient is a 40-year-old woman, living in Hortolândia. She was in the farm where the outbreak began, on May 27. The folder said that the patient presented symptoms on June 10 and is currently in a private hospital in Campinas, waiting for the results of the laboratory exam.

Also on Wednesday, the Secretariat confirmed a new suspected case. This time, a 38-year-old woman, who also participated in the festivities on the farm and has been hospitalized since Tuesday the 13th. At the moment, she is waiting for the results of the confirmation exam.

Spotted fever has already caused three deaths confirmed by the authorities. A fourth death is under investigation. It is a 16 year old teenager. All of them were at Santa Margarida Farm, on May 27th, and participated in the Feijoada do Rosa.

The Joaquim Egídio district, where the farm is located, is mapped as a risk area for the disease. In a statement released on Wednesday, Santa Margarida Farm announced that it will remain closed for the next 30 days.