What is glanders disease? Here are some details about this.
GLANDERS DISEASE – According to health officials, two men died of this disease in Siquijor, and here are the details to know about this.
On May 28, two men from Siquijor died in a Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental hospital due to glanders. They were afflicted with glanders and melioidosis, and both had comorbidities. Prior to this, there were at least four others from Siquijor who were also confirmed earlier to have contracted glanders.
What is glanders?
According to the World Organisation for Animal Health, this is an “infectious and life-threatening disease that mainly affects horses, donkeys, or mules caused by the bacterium Burkholderia mallei.”
It is known to be affecting horses, mules, and donkeys. Domestic animals and livestock like goats, dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, and guinea pigs can also be infected.
This can be transmitted to humans, and it’s been present as far back as 500 A.D., when people commonly used horses and other animals as a primary mode of transport. It has other names, such as equinia, farcy, malleus, or droes.
At present, this is considered a rare disease, but it remains. Human-to-human transmission is very rare, but this is possible.
Transmission to humans
- Cutaneous form – The disease enters the body through a scrape or cut
- Upper respiratory infection – The disease enters through mucous membranes like the eyes and nose.
- Pulmonary form – The disease enters the lungs by inhaling it. Through this, it can result in pneumonia, a lung infection, or pus-filled cavities in the lungs.
- Chronic form – The disease is recurring and persistent, and abscesses can develop on muscles and major internal organs.
- Bloodstream infection – The disease infects the bloodstream, and is deadly in 7 to 10 days.
General symptoms
- Fever
- Shivers and sweats
- Chest pain
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Cough
- Muscle soreness and tightness
- Sensitivity to light
- Excessive mucous
- Tearing in the eyes
- Diarrhea
- Ulcers
- Fatigue
Treatment
This life-threatening disease has no vaccines, but in humans, the bacteria react to sulfadiazine, an antibiotic. It also reacts to other antibiotics such as Ceftazidime, Imipenem, Gentamicin, Novobiocin, Sulfonamide, and Tetracycline.
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