Not every person knows how to behave properly after an animal bite. Some dismiss this situation. But procrastination can cost a person life. A disease such as rabies is not treated. However, you can save yourself by timely vaccination. If an adult or a child is bitten by an animal, you need to find out how and where to get tested for rabies in humans. This will be discussed in detail later.
General description of the disease
A blood test for rabies in humans is almost the only way to recognize the presence of a disease in the body in time. To understand how serious the consequences can be, you need to consider the features of this disease. Rabies is a disease caused by a viral infection. It affects the brain, spinal cord. Without timely treatment, the disease leads to death.
All mammals in nature are subject to rabies. The virus is transmitted from one organism to another through biological fluids. Most often it is saliva. In most cases, people become infected with the virus at the time of an animal bite. According to statistics, most often these are dogs, cats, raccoons, rabbits, hedgehogs, foxes, bats, etc. Almost any wild or domestic animal can be a carrier of the virus.
An analysis of rabies in humans after a bite reveals the virus before the onset of characteristic symptoms. It is worth noting that even if the animal has no signs of rabies, this does not mean that it is not a carrier of infection. At the first stage, he appears to have increased salivation. In this case, a clear fear of water appears. The mood quickly changes from oppressed to aggressive.
According to statistics, 55 thousand people die every year from this ailment in the world. In our country over the past 8 years, 75 people have died from rabies. The problem is that the disease is not amenable to any treatment. If no action has been taken immediately after the bite, death is inevitable. Even when saliva of a sick animal enters the mucous membranes, the virus begins to develop in the body.
Course of the disease
Is there an analysis for rabies in humans? This is a rather complicated diagnostic procedure, which must be differentiated from other diseases. In the Moscow region, according to statistics, the main carriers of the virus are wild hedgehogs and foxes. Infection occurs at the time of a bite of a person who picks berries or mushrooms in the forest, as well as people on a picnic. Often such animals infect stray dogs or livestock. Already from them the virus can be transmitted to humans.
In 60% of cases, a person becomes infected from dogs. Much less often, the virus is transmitted from cats (10% of cases). In 24% of cases, rabies is infected by a bite of a fox. Moreover, the animal may look normal. It becomes contagious 3-10 days before the onset of the first signs of rabies.
After entering the body, the virus rapidly spreads through the nerve trunks, reaching the central nervous system. Then he goes along the same paths to peripheral areas. As a result, the entire nervous system is affected. The virus through the nerve trunks enters the salivary glands, starting to excrete with saliva. The speed with which it advances in the body is about 3 mm / h.
Actively multiplying in the nerve tissues, the virus causes their edema, necrotic changes and bleeding. Symptoms appear gradually. When the first signs of rabies appear, a person has a maximum of 20 days before the onset of death. Moreover, in this condition, it is impossible to affect the disease. This is an irreversible process. Only until the disease has managed to reach the central nervous system, it can be defeated by the introduction of special drugs.
Symptoms
An analysis of rabies in humans after being bitten by a dog or other animal should be submitted as early as possible. However, sometimes it is necessary to take urgent measures before the test results are obtained. This disease is not delayed. The incubation period is from 30 days to 3 months. Moreover, this process is individual. There are cases when the incubation period lasted only 12 days or stretched to 1 year. It depends on the location of the bite or the virus entering the body.
The disease proceeds in 3 stages. On each of them there are certain symptoms. The first stage is called depression. In the area of the bite, burning, itching, pain appears, although the wound may even heal. Sometimes a new inflammation occurs in this place. Body temperature rises to 37.2 º. In this case, the first signs of mental disorders appear. A person feels fear, anxiety, longing. He is closed, sleeps poorly. This stage lasts only up to 3 days. Then the disease goes into the stage of excitement.
At the second stage of the course of the disease, increased irritability and fear of water appears. When you try to drink, the swallowing muscles contract painfully, an attack of suffocation occurs. Fear is constantly increasing. As a result, even at the mention of water, a person feels an attack of spasm of the respiratory and swallowing muscles.
At this stage, a person reacts sharply to any pathogen. Even due to a blow in the face, cramps can occur. The pupils are dilated. Strong salivation and sweating are observed. At the peak of the attack, a person feels rage, aggression, trying to harm others. Hallucinations develop. Sometimes respiratory arrest and heart failure occurs. In the intervals between attacks, consciousness clears up. This period lasts 2-3 days. If during this time during the attack did not occur death, rabies passes into the third stage.
At this stage, paralysis occurs. This indicates irreversible changes in the cerebral cortex, subcortical formations. There is a decrease in motor and sensory function. Previously, this period was mistaken for improvement due to the cessation of seizures and other manifestations of the second stage. However, this is not the case. The temperature rises to a critical point of 42 º. After a maximum of 24 hours, death occurs due to paralysis of the respiratory center and heart. Most often, only 5-8 days pass from the moment the first symptoms appear until death.
Diagnostics
A person needs to be tested for rabies after visiting an infectious disease specialist. Diagnostics is carried out comprehensively. To do this, blood, urine and tissues are sampled for saliva. In a person who is sick with rabies, lymphocytic leukocytosis is detected in the blood. In this case, aneosinophilia is observed. Rabies virus antigen is found in prints taken from the surface of the cornea.
If death has been ascertained, an analysis of the tissues of the ammonian horn is taken from the person. Here, in the presence of the virus, Babesh-Negri bodies are found.
It should be noted that during diagnosis, manifestations similar to other diseases are observed. It is necessary to determine whether a similar state is caused by rabies or diseases such as tetanus, hysteroneurosis, delirium tremens, poisoning with strychnine or atropine, etc. There are certain differences in such conditions.
A blood test for rabies in humans allows you to avoid making the wrong diagnosis. This allows him to save his life when other diseases are discovered. If the diagnosis is confirmed, it will be impossible to help the person.
Where is the analysis carried out?
Because of ignorance, many people do wrong after being bitten by animals. Instead of visiting an infectious disease doctor, they tend to be tested. It is worth noting that even in the most famous clinics this procedure is not carried out. For example, you can’t get a blood test for rabies in a person at Invitro. Here, a person will immediately be offered to contact an infectious disease specialist.
There are a number of private and public clinics that conduct such tests. Diagnosis is very specific. In this case, it does not allow you to first identify the disease, and then proceed to treatment. For this reason, an analysis of human rabies in Invitro and other well-known laboratories fail. Treatment is prescribed in any case, if there is a fact of an animal bite.
It is worth noting that even though the test for rabies in humans in Invitro fails, you can perform a similar procedure for the animal. If this beast is domestic, the owner must take a phone number and monitor the condition of the animal. They also conduct special tests for such pets. Most often, it is impossible to observe the animal that bit the person (the animal often runs away, it becomes impossible to find it).
When characteristic symptoms appear, the doctor will prescribe an examination. If a person has not taken timely action after a bite or saliva on mucous, open wounds, diagnosis will only establish the fact of the development of this ailment in the body.
Where and how to pass the analysis?
There are several options where to pass an analysis of rabies to a person. After visiting the infectious disease specialist, if necessary, contact a private or public laboratory. When the first signs of the disease appear, the doctor will necessarily hospitalize the patient. Here they take blood and urine for examination. A biopsy of the skin from the damaged area is also mandatory.
You can also take an analysis in a private clinic. For example, CityLab conducts such diagnostics in Moscow. The cost of a blood test is about 350-380 rubles. The cost of urinalysis is 350 rubles. The cost of taking biomaterial is paid separately.
Doctors can also identify the virus when symptoms appear when examining the skin that is taken from the back of the patient’s neck, from tear, salivary, cerebrospinal fluid.
A general blood test eliminates elevated ESR and white blood cell counts. Also, antibodies are determined that are produced by the immunity of a sick person to an infectious agent.
Imprints from the cornea of the eye may be taken. One of the main diagnostic methods is to perform PCR analysis to study the genetic material of the virus. Using electron microscopy, brain tissue is examined.
There are other methods that are used by modern medicine in the diagnosis of rabies. So, for example, an electroencephalogram (EEG) can be prescribed. This allows you to evaluate the work of the brain, to determine certain deviations in electrical potentials.
How to act after a bite?
Analysis of rabies in humans after a bite of a cat, dog or other animal is carried out within 7 working days. In this case, the correct result can be obtained only after the incubation period of the disease. Therefore, you need to know how to behave after a bite. If such a nuisance has occurred with an adult or child, you need to rinse the wound with running water and treat it with an antiseptic.
Next, a sterile dressing is applied to the damaged surface. The affected person must go to the hospital. He is examined by an infectious disease specialist or traumatologist. On the same day, a vaccine is given to the patient, which helps to create immunity against rabies. Until the virus has managed to penetrate far, it allows you to effectively deal with it.
If the animal that has bitten the person is domestic, it is observed for 10 days. At the same time, vaccination continues. The drug is administered to each patient who seeks help from a doctor, even if the injury occurred a month or several months ago.
Vaccination
Before an analysis is made for human rabies virus , vaccination is given. The drug should be administered in accordance with established rules. This allows you to build immunity, preventing the development of the disease. The vaccine is administered on the day the patient goes to the doctor, and then on the 3rd and 7th day after contact with the animal. If within 10 days the pet or wild animal does not show signs of rabies, appropriate tests were performed that did not confirm the presence of the virus in saliva, vaccination is stopped.
If observation of the animal is impossible or signs of infection have been identified, the vaccine continues to be administered on the 14th, 30th, 90th day after contact.
In addition, antibodies are introduced into the bite site, which allow you to quickly overcome the virus directly at the site of the bite. This method is used in the first hours after the incident. The substance must be introduced no later than 7 days after contact with the animal.
Risk group
Analysis of rabies in humans does not allow you to effectively fight the disease. Therefore, it is carried out only in extreme cases (with the appearance of characteristic symptoms). You need to know that there are people who are at risk. They must be vaccinated once a year.
Such measures must be taken by residents of rural areas who have unvaccinated animals. The risk group includes people traveling in developing countries or simply often going to nature, in contact with wild animals. This category includes hunters, hunters, veterinarians, as well as employees of nurseries and zoos. Vaccination is carried out by medical staff who work with the virus in the laboratory.
Prevention
In order not to need to do a human rabies test or get vaccinated, you need to adhere to basic safety rules. When traveling to nature with children, you need to explain to the kids how dangerous wild animals can be. It is necessary to wean the child to stroke homeless cats and dogs, other animals.
If cats live in the house, they are not allowed to go outside to avoid accidental infection. Dogs that are walking on the street must be vaccinated according to all the rules. Even if a person was bitten by a familiar pet, you need to see a doctor.
Having examined the features of a human rabies test, you can understand how to act correctly after a bite or saliva on the mucous membranes. This will avoid serious consequences.