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<h2>diseas</h2>
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<p>Carolee Boyles-SprenkelAbout 2650 words
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Route 3, Box 2180Copyright 1989
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Quincy, FL 32351Carolee Boyles-Sprenkel
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(904) 627-2254Second Serial Rights</p>
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<p> WILD DISEASES
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By
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Carolee Boyles-Sprenkel</p>
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<p>A few days after Patsy M. returned home from a trip to
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Hawaii, she came down with what she thought was intestinal flu.
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After a week of nausea and vile-smelling diarrhea she went to her
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doctor. He couldn't find anything wrong with her and put her on
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a liquid diet. Two weeks and ten pounds later she was becoming
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anemic. </p>
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<p>Three stool samples, a sigmoidoscopy and a proctoscopy could
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not establish the cause of her illness. Finally she mentioned
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her symptoms to a colleague at work who recognized them as
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something he'd heard of before. A little research turned up
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information on an organism that parasitizes the human digestive
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tract, Giardia. After only 24 hours on the antibiotic Flagyl,
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Patsy knew she'd solved the problem. She recovered without
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further incident.</p>
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<p>Patsy was only one of a number of people who bring back more
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from their outdoor experiences that they bargain for. Any time
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we go into the woods, we run the risk of encountering illnesses
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and discomforts our urban neighbors don't ever run into. Few
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physicians even think about testing for these "exotic" diseases.
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Untreated, some will run their course in a few days or a few
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weeks. But not all are so benign. </p>
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<p>According to epidemiologist Dr. Lisa Conti, doctors term
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these diseases "zoonotic." That means they're caused by
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organisms that infect both animals and humans. Though most
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affect humans only rarely, a few are relatively common. </p>
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<p>This is definitely not a case of "what you don't know won't
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hurt you." What you don't know about some of these ailments
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will, in some cases, kill you. </p>
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<p> Lyme Disease</p>
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<p>Lyme Disease may be the most visible of the little shop of
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horrors found in the woods. Unlike some other diseases, Lyme
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Disease is not rare. Dr. Robert Craven, a Centers for Disease
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Control researcher studying Lyme, says doctors reported more than
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2400 cases during 1988. He believes it's spreading throughout
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the country.</p>
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<p>A bacterium carried by deer mice and deer causes Lyme
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Disease. Ixodid ticks can pass the organism from infected
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animals to people.</p>
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<p>The first symptom of the disease is a little red area where
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the tick attached itself to you. The spot grows. Then fever,
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headache, and muscle aches start. The spot increases in size
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until it become a red ring several inches across with a light-colored center. "It's kind of like a bull's-eye," says Craven. </p>
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<p>If you don't get treatment, the effects can be severe. "It
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can eventually cause cardiac problems, usually rhythm
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disturbances," Craven says. "It can cause arthritis, which can
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be fairly severe and debilitating. It can cause a whole host of
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neurologic problems - encephalitis, meningitis type problems,
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paralyses, that sort of thing."</p>
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<p>Lyme Disease is easy to treat with antibiotics. According
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to Craven, researchers are trying to produce a vaccine, but none
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is available at this time.</p>
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<p> Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever</p>
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<p>Another bacterium transmitted exclusively by tick bites is
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Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Infected ticks can pass the
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organism from generation to generation without feeding on a sick
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animal. </p>
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<p>According to Dr. Michael Wilder, a state public health
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clinician, the first symptoms are fever, cramping stomach pain
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and rash. "Stomach-ache seems to be a common early symptom," he
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says. "There may be some vomiting, but no diarrhea." The rash
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looks like measles but it appears on the wrists and palms of the
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hand, which measles rarely does.</p>
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<p>Antibiotics will cure Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Of the
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patients who are not treated, though, a few die from either shock
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or hemorrhaging.
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Encephalitis</p>
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<p>Several different types of encephalitis cause problems from
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time to time. St. Louis Encephalitis follows a 10-year cycle in
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the Mississippi Valley, according to Craven. Eastern Equine
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Encephalitis and Western Equine Encephalitis appear in small
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scattered outbreaks each summer.</p>
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<p>Birds carry the viruses that cause encephalitis, which
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mosquitoes spread from the birds to humans and other mammals.
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Early symptoms include confusion and fever. Some varieties of
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the ailment cause nausea and vomiting. Then, Craven says,
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convulsions, coma, and other neurologic involvement may occur.</p>
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<p>"Eastern Equine is a particularly virulent form of
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encephalitis in humans," he says. "It frequently kills, and the
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people who do survive are usually brain damaged to a greater or
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lesser degree for life."</p>
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<p>Antibiotics are useless against encephalitis, he says.
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Researchers have developed a vaccine against both Eastern and
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Western Equine, but officials recommend using it only during
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epidemic conditions.
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Tularemia</p>
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<p>According to Dr. Thomas Quan with the CDC's Fort Collins,
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Colorado unit, most people acquire tularemia infections from
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rabbits and hares, and the ticks associated with them. He says
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people can pick up the versatile organism in a number of ways.</p>
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<p>"Most human cases occur through the bite of a tick or
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through direct contact with rabbits that are infected," he says.
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"There are other modes of infection, such as deer fly bites and
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mosquito bites." Sheep-shearers have acquired it from working
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with infected sheep in Colorado. Some people have become ill
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from drinking contaminated water. Farm workers can inhale the
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organism from hay dust.</p>
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<p>Early symptoms are fairly vague. You'll develop a bit of a
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fever, and generally not feel too good. If you've inhaled the
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organism, you'll have respiratory symptoms; if you've swallowed
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it, you'll think you'll have intestinal flu. Swelling of the
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armpits - called buboes - and other plague-like symptoms will
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follow a tick bite or infection through a cut. For untreated
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cases, the fatality rate is about 5 to 7 per cent. With
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antibiotic treatment, patients can expect complete recovery.
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"The people who get sick with it wish they'd die, but they
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usually don't," Quan says. "But eventually they overcome it."
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Giardia</p>
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<p>CDC worker Dr. David Addiss says the biggest source of
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Giardia is contaminated water. Biologists have found the
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organism from many streams and rivers. "It's found fairly
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commonly throughout the United States in untreated surface
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water," he says. "You don't find it very much in wells or big
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lakes, but you do see it in streams."</p>
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<p>A number of different animals, especially beavers, may carry
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the protozoan that causes the illness. Symptoms include loose
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stools or full-blown diarrhea, cramping, gas and burping, and
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rarely nausea and vomiting. The disease may be more chronic than
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acute. Giardia attaches itself to the wall of the small
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intestine, where it lives and reproduces. Untreated, the ailment
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may go away on its own. In many people, through, the infection
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persists until it's treated with a course of antibiotic. </p>
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<p>Don't rely on iodine or chlorine tablets to treat stream
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water. They may work if the water is warm and only contains a
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few Giardia cysts. But in cold or heavily infested water,
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they're not particularly effective.</p>
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<p> Relapsing Fever</p>
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<p>Craven also works with relapsing fever another tick-borne
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disease related to Lyme Disease. He says it's fairly rare in the
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United States. </p>
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<p>The last big epidemic of Relapsing Fever occurred in the
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Grand Canyon in the 1970s, and was related to squirrels nesting
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in cabins where Canyon staff people were living. Generally,
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though, the cases are fairly scattered.</p>
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<p>The disease produces flu-like symptoms, including fever and
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muscle aches. If it's not treated, the symptoms subside, and
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patients think they're well. Then it comes back. This cycle
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continues until the disease is treated. Fortunately, it doesn't
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seem to produce any serious long-term effects like Lyme Disease
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does.</p>
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<p> Brucellosis</p>
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<p>Unless you hunt wild hogs in the southeastern United States,
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brucellosis is one problem you probably don't need to worry
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about. This is not to say the disease isn't found in other
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species; biologists have reported it in desert rats and other
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rodents, hares, foxes, goats, sheep, deer, elk and bison, and
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even dogs and cats. But Dr. Arnold Kaufmann, a physician with
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the CDC in Atlanta, says he's never heard of hunters contracting
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brucellosis from any animal except hogs. </p>
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<p>The organisms which cause brucellosis are a group of
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bacteria that live in the blood, bone marrow and lymphatic
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system, including the liver and spleen. You can become infected
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in a couple of ways. If you clean a hog without wearing gloves,
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bacteria can enter through small cuts and scratches on your
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hands. As you cut into the carcass of the animal a number of the
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organisms are released into the air, where you can inhale them.</p>
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<p>Heat kills the bacteria, so you're not at risk if you eat
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well-cooked meat from a sick animal. In fact, when domestic
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animals such as cattle are found to have brucellosis, one cure is
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to send the animals to the slaughterhouse.</p>
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<p>In humans, brucellosis is a vague sort of illness, according
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to Kaufmann. It causes headache, fever, and exhaustion. You may
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have achy joints and in general feel like you have a severe case
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of the flu.</p>
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<p>"It goes on and on and doesn't go away," says Kaufmann.
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"It's a very complex disease. It can involved a variety of
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organs." Untreated, most patients eventually recover; for a few,
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though, it continues as a chronic illness. Treatment is simply a
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course of antibiotics.</p>
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<p> Q Fever</p>
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<p>Q or Query Fever may be under reported, according to CDC
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microbiologist Russell Regnery. As a result, the CDC doesn't
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have any good data on how many cases occur in this country each
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year.</p>
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<p>"I think it's an important disease, but one for which very
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little data can be found," says Regnery. In his opinion,
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hunters and fishermen in sheep country need to be aware of the
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disease as a potential long-shot ailment. "If, for example, you
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were to shoot a sheep that had Q Fever and you butchered it out,
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especially if that animal is a pregnant female, you would really
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be asking for the possibility of exposure," Regnery says. The
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organism reaches its highest concentration in amniotic fluid and
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fetal tissues.</p>
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<p>The agent is a specialized bacterium. It can infect humans
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through cuts on the hand, but it's very infectious if inhaled.
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As a result, clothes and other items can become contaminated by
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the organism. </p>
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<p>Symptoms include headache and fever, plus muscle pain.
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Pregnant women may suffer complications. Untreated, the disease
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usually resolves itself after a few days or a few weeks. A few
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people, though, develop Q Fever endocarditis, or inflammation of
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the heart. This can be a chronic problem, hard to treat, and
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sometimes leading to death. Q-fever has been associated with
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rabbit hunting in <span class="GPE">Canada</span>.
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Rabies</p>
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<p>Despite modern vaccinations, rabies is still a potential
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threat. Unlike most of the other diseases you can acquire in the
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woods, rabies has no treatment - if you get it, you die. It's
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that simple.</p>
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<p>"Any warm-blooded animal can get rabies," says Wilder. "But
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certain animals seem to play a more important role as a
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reservoir. The main ones throughout most of the country are
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insectivorous bats, skunks, foxes, and of course raccoons." Even
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deer and antelope can become infected if a rabid animal bites
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them.</p>
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<p>You're only at a slight risk to pick up rabies if you dress
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an infected deer or other ungulate without gloves on.
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Theoretically, though, it's possible for you to get it,
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especially if you skin out the head and get saliva on your hands.</p>
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<p>Direct contact is not the only way you can acquire rabies.
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In rare cases, spelunkers have become infected from inhaling the
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virus in bat caves. </p>
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<p>If you're bitten by a rabid animal, the first symptom of the
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disease is what Wilder terms "an unusual sensation" at the site
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of the bite. "It's an increased sensitivity, a feeling of
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prickliness, just an odd sensation arising from the healing
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wound." A fever and stiffening of the neck follow. Then you'll
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have convulsions. You'll salivate because you're unable to
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swallow. Death will follow in of days or weeks.</p>
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<p>A post-exposure vaccine for people has been available for
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many years. Recently, scientists have developed a pre-exposure
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vaccine. Wilder says whether or not you need to get vaccinated
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depends on what you're hunting. Most people don't need to worry
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about it. But if you're a woodchuck or raccoon hunter, he
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recommends it. At a cost of about $100, it's cheap insurance.</p>
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<p>Wilder also stresses that hunters need to have their dogs
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vaccinated against the disease. Some raccoon hunters in
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particular fear the inoculation will affect the dogs' ability to
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hunt, and so don't have them vaccinated. </p>
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<p>Don't do the vaccination yourself. In Florida and perhaps a
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few other state, rabies vaccine is available over the counter at
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feed stores. "We've been most fortunate that no identified cases
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of rabies have occurred from this practice," Wilder says.</p>
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<p> Plague
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Remember the bubonic plague, the disease that decimated
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Europe in the Middle Ages? It's still with us in the western US. </p>
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<p>Any rodent in the west can harbor the plague organism.
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"Most people in the United States who acquire plague are getting
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it from ground squirrels," Quan says. "On the west coast, it's
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the California Ground Squirrel. In the Rocky Mountains it's the
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Rock Squirrel. Then you have other smaller squirrels and
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chipmunks." Even if you don't have direct contact with rodents,
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you're still not immune. Your dog and cat may catch a squirrel,
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pick up the fleas carrying the organism, and bring it home to
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you.</p>
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<p>Plague is transmitted to humans through flea bites. Early
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symptoms are similar to those of tularemia: high fever, muscle
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aches, fatigue. You'll have pain, sometimes quite severe, in the
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area where the buboes, or swollen lymph glands, are going to
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develop. </p>
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<p>Untreated, plague kills. The organism produces toxins that
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cause problems with blood clotting, and eventually gangrene.
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Fifty-five to sixty per cent of patients die. Even treated,
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plaque kills 15 to 20 per cent of patients. </p>
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<p>As dreadful as plague is, it's easily treated. A variety of
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antibiotics, including Tetracycline and sulfa drugs, will knock
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it out. </p>
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<p>"People who see a physician early on after symptoms, and who
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have the savvy to know they were possibly exposed tend to
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survive," Quan says. "A large percentage of those who die have
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septicemic plague, which does not have a bubo." These cases look
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like a lot of other diseases, are hard to diagnose, and as a
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result often don't get treated early enough.</p>
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<p>Fortunately, plague is rare. Quan says in 1983 doctors
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reported a high of 40 cases, but in general the number is 10 to
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20. This compares to 200-plus for tularemia each year.</p>
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<p> Prevention</p>
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<p>Most members of this hall of villains are easy to prevent
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with little effort. First, don't drink untreated water. Carry
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water or soft drinks with you. </p>
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<p>Second, any time you dress game, don't do it bare-handed;
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wear gloves. "If you don't wear gloves, you're really taking
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your chances," Quan says. </p>
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<p>Third, avoid contact with mosquitoes, ticks and fleas.
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"Most of these things can be prevented with repellents," Craven
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says. He notes especially Permanone, a permethrin compound that
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is both an insecticide and a repellent useful for ticks. </p>
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<p>If, after being in the woods, you begin to show symptoms
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like any of the ones described here, go straight to the doctor.
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Don't wait to see if you get better on your own. And be sure you
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tell him or her what you suspect.</p>
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<p>"Be sure you tell the physician you had the contact," Quan
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says. "It's one way we have of making an early, proper
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diagnosis. Tell the doctor you had contact with such-and-such an
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animal. Then the physician is at least alerted that tularemia is
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as possibility, or in the western states, plague." </p>
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<p>These are only some of the weird and exotic diseases you may
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encounter on a hunting or fishing trip. Others include
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Leptospirosis, Anthrax, and a variety of fungal organisms. But
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by following some common-sense preventive techniques, you can
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avoid bringing home these unwanted freeloaders from the woods.</p>
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<p> -End-
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</p>
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<p> Another file downloaded from: NIRVANAnet(tm)</p>
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<p> & the Temple of the Screaming Electron Jeff Hunter 510-935-5845
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Burn This Flag Zardoz 408-363-9766
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realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 415-567-7043
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Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 415-583-4102</p>
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<p> Specializing in conversations, obscure information, high explosives,
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