Mosquitoes in Poland transmit heartworm and leishmaniasis. According to specialists from the National Institute of Public He alth, these exotic diseases can be transmitted from dogs to humans by mosquitoes. Infections are rare in humans, as mainly animals are at risk of heartworm disease and leishmaniasis. Check how dangerous are mosquito-borne diseases?

Mosquito-borne diseases - heartworm disease

Human Dirofilariosis

Dirofilariosisis a disease caused by the parasiteDirofilaria immitiswhich occurs in Southern Europe, North America, Australia and the Southeast Asia.heartworm diseaseusually affects the inhabitants of countries where the parasites are common, i.e. in exotic countries. Human infections are rare in Poland. Even if the parasite enters the human body, it is suppressed by the immune system.

There is also another form of the parasite in Poland -Dirofilaria repens,which nests only under the skin. In order to look for a nesting site, the parasite may circulate under our skin for up to several months. The presence of the parasite reveals a lump on the skin with a diameter of about 2 cm. Treatment consists of surgical removal of the parasite.

Dirofilariosis in dogs

Dirofilariosis in Poland most often occurs in dogs that have been abroad, where they have been infected with the parasite. The disease is the localization of larvae of parasites under the skin or around the heart of the animal. There they mature and reach a size of up to 30 cm. The disease develops from several months to several years and its symptoms are:

  • unwillingness to exercise
  • weight loss
  • cough

To find out if a dog has been infected with Dilofyraliosis, perform pulmonary ultrasound or serology. Treatment for this exotic in a dog is complex and can be life-threatening. If untreated, the disease leads to the death of the animal.

Mosquito borne diseases - leishmaniasis

Leishmaniasisis a disease that, until recently, was transmitted by mosquitoes in South America, Africa andWest Asia.

There are three types of the disease:

  • visceral leishmaniasis (so-called black fever or dum-dum fever) - is one of the most dangerous varieties of leishmaniasis. The transmitting insects most often attack in India and Brazil
  • cutaneous leishmaniasis (so-called white leprosy) - occurs in the countries of the Middle East and South America (most often Brazil and Peru)
  • mucocutaneous leishmaniasis - a disease affecting the inhabitants of Bolivia, Brazil and Peru

Leishmaniasis in humans

In Poland, leishmaniasis is most often found in tourists returning from these exotic regions of the world or in vacationers who have spent holidays in the Mediterranean Sea, because leishmaniasis is also encountered in southern Europe. In patients with this disease, gray color of the skin or multiple ulcers are most often seen. Fortunately, disease is very rarely transmitted from an infected dog to humans.

Leishmaniasis in dogs

In recent years in Poland, mosquitoes carrying leishmaniosis more and more often attack dogs and cause:

  • hepatitis
  • digestive system dysfunction
  • eye diseases
  • osteoarthritis
  • kidney disorder (which usually leads to the death of the animal)

Leishmaniasis in dogs, treatment and prevention

No vaccine has been developed for leishmaniasis, so the only way to prevent leishmaniasis is to avoid mosquito habitats such as parks and wetlands and spray the animals with mosquito repellants.

In order to treat leishmaniasis, antibiotics are used. Untreated leishmaniasis causes death.

Mosquito borne diseases - malaria

Malaria is a parasitic disease caused in humans by protozoa of the genus Plasmodium (infestation). Parasites are transmitted to humans by female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is characterized by cold attacks: a growing fever (40 ° C and more) with increasing chills, a quick drop after a few hours, with very profuse sweating, weakness, a feeling of almost full he alth after a short sleep.

Mosquito-borne diseases - Dengue fever

Dengue fever, also known as "breakbone fever", belongs to the group of hemorrhagic fever - a group of diseases that share a common feature of bleeding disorders. Dengue is found in the hot climates of Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America, and the islands of Oceania. The disease is caused by the group dengue virusFlaviviridae. The virus only enters the body as a result of bites by the Aedes aegypti (Egyptian mosquito), less commonly other Aedes mosquitoes.

Mosquito-borne diseases - yellow fever

Yellow fever is caused by viruses from the Flaviviridae family. It is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito infected with viruses of the genus Aedes, Haemagogus or Sabethes. It occurs in such regions of the world as: Africa, South and Central America. Serious complications include liver and kidney damage, and gastrointestinal bleeding (hemorrhagic fever).

Mosquito-borne diseases - Zika fever

Zika virus (ZIKV) causes a tropical disease called Zika fever. Human infection occurs as a result of the bite of mosquitoes belonging to the species Aedes africanus, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus - virus carriers (vectors). Infection with the zika virus is especially dangerous for pregnant women as it can lead to microcephaly of the fetus. It can also cause Guillain-Barré syndrome, which manifests as paralysis. The World He alth Organization said the Zika virus will spread to all countries in America, except Canada and Chile.

Mosquito-borne diseases - Japanese encephalitis

Japanese encephalitis is an infectious disease typical of the Far East and Southeast Asia. The disease is caused by a neurotrophic virus belonging to theFlaviviridaefamily (which also includes dengue, yellow fever, West Nile fever, or our native tick-borne encephalitis) classified as arboviruses, which are transmitted by mosquitoes from typeCulexiAedese.g.Aedes japonicus . In the vast majority of cases - over 95% - Japanese encephalitis is asymptomatic, or they are mild, flu-like symptoms, such as: fever, headache, gastrointestinal disorders - especially in children, pain when urinating (dysuria ), nausea, vomiting.

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Source: Dzień Dobry TVN / x-news

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Infectious diseases